Information processing apparatus, data acquisition method, and program

ABSTRACT

Provided is a data acquisition method including the steps of selecting a link destination whose display is at least partially located in a region of a display screen corresponding to an operating tool, acquiring, before the link destination is selected, information relating to a layout of a display screen and display control data including at least a structural unit in which the information is written, the display control data and the information existing at the link destination, extracting structural units included in the display control data, in a case the prefetched link destination is selected, generating first structured data by linking the extracted structural units in which information involving script-process isn&#39;t written, generating second structured data by linking the extracted structural units, displaying a display screen using the first structured data, and redisplaying, at a stage the second structured data is generated, the display screen using the second structured data.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, adata acquisition method, and a program.

2. Description of the Related Art

With the development of information communication technology, a networkbandwidth is being widened. Accordingly, the volume of contenttransmitted over a wide area network such as the Internet is also on theincrease. Also, a program for performing script processing is embeddedin many of the homepages published on the wide area network, and thepage structures are modified so that dynamic processing can be performedon the homepages. However, when reading large content or performingscript processing, a long time is taken until a homepage is fullydisplayed. In view of such issue, there is developed technology forcaching, in advance, information published on the wide area network suchas the Internet (hereinafter, WWW information), and for displaying theWWW information cached in advance when access is requested by a user. Inrelation to this technology, JP-A-2004-280405 discloses technology forefficiently caching the WWW information.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, it is difficult to appropriately select WWW information to becached in advance. For example, if all the pieces of the WWW informationof the link destinations described in a displayed page are to be cached,acquisition itself of the WWW information will take a long time in acase there are many link destinations. Also, large amounts of cachememory will be used. Furthermore, most of the communication bandwidthwill be taken up for the acquisition of the WWW information to becached. For these reasons, to quickly display a page, it is necessarynot only to cache the WWW information, but also to further refine theWWW information acquisition method.

The WWW information includes information for performing display controlof a page (hereinafter, display control information). Also, the displaycontrol information includes information that defines the layout of apage (hereinafter, layout information), information for making a clientterminal perform script processing (hereinafter, script information),and the like. However, the layout information and the script informationmentioned above may be treated as separate data from the display controlinformation mentioned above. In this case, link information between thedisplay control information and the layout information and linkinformation between the display control information and the scriptinformation are included in the display control information. Therefore,practically, the layout information and the script information areincluded in the display control information.

In many cases, the display control information is written in astructured language such as an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) and anXML (eXtensible Markup Language), for example. These structuredlanguages adopt a description method which defines a structural unit byusing tags. Accordingly, the display control information is structuredwith a section delimited by the tags as the structural unit. Also, inmany cases, the layout information mentioned above is expressed in stylesheets such as CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and the like. Furthermore,in many cases, the script information mentioned above is written in ascript language such as JavaScript (registered trademark; hereinafter,abbreviated as JS), ECMAScript, VBScript (registered trademark), and thelike.

As described, the display control information (1) includes the layoutinformation and the script information, and (2) is structured based onspecific structural units. Normally, at the time of displaying the WWWinformation by a WWW browser or the like, the display controlinformation is analysed, and the execution order of display processingor the acquisition order of data is determined with the structural unitsincluded in the display control information as a reference. Next, thestructural units are linked to each other by a WWW browser or the like,and structured data for display control, called DOM (Document ObjectModel), is created. Then, acquisition of data, display of data, and thelike are performed based on the DOM created by the WWW browser or thelike (see FIG. 1).

At the time of building the DOM, if the script information is includedin the display control information, data acquisition or displayprocessing is delayed due to the sequential nature of script processing.Accordingly, even if sufficiently wide bandwidth is reserved for thewide area network, when a page is to be displayed based on the displaycontrol information including the script information, there is a certainamount of wait time until the page is displayed. Particularly, if thesteps of the script processing are nested, the wait time is furtherincreased.

In light of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide an informationprocessing apparatus, a data acquisition method, and a program which arenew and improved, and which are capable of reducing the display delay ofa page caused by the sequential nature of the script processing and ofquickly displaying a well laid-out page.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is providedan information processing apparatus which includes a separation distancedetection unit that detects a separation distance between an operatingtool in contact with or in proximity to a display screen and the displayscreen, a link selection unit that selects, in a case the separationdistance detected by the separation distance detection unit is aspecific threshold or less, a link destination whose display is at leastpartially located for a specific time in a region of the display screencorresponding to the operating tool, among at least one link destinationdisplayed on the display screen, a data prefetch unit that acquires,before the link destination is selected by the operating tool,information relating to a layout of a display screen and display controldata including at least a structural unit in which the informationrelating to a layout of a display screen is written, the display controldata and the information relating to a layout of a display screenexisting at the link destination selected by the link selection unit, astructure analysis unit that analyses the display control data andextracts structural units included in the display control data, in acase the link destination whose display control data has been acquiredby the data prefetch unit is selected by the operating tool, a firststructuring unit that generates, in a case the link destination whosedisplay control data has been acquired by the data prefetch unit isselected by the operating tool, first structured data for displaycontrol by mutually linking, except for a structural unit in whichinformation relating to display control involving script processing iswritten, the structural units including at least the structural unit inwhich the information relating to a layout of a display screen iswritten, among the structural units extracted by the structure analysisunit, a second structuring unit that generates, in a case the linkdestination whose display control data has been acquired by the dataprefetch unit is selected by the operating tool, second structured datafor display control by mutually linking the structural units, and adisplay control unit that displays a display screen by using the firststructured data generated by the first structuring unit, and, at a stagethe second structured data is generated by the second structuring unit,redisplays the display screen by using the second structured data.

The information processing apparatus may further include a connectionestablishment unit that establishes a connection to the linkdestination. The link selection unit may further select another linkdestination that is located in a specific range with the linkdestination whose display is at least partially located in the region asa centre. The connection establishment unit may establish a TCPconnection to the other link destination that the link selection unitfurther selected, before the other link destination is selected by useroperation.

In a case multiple link destinations which are a result of search basedon key information are displayed on the display screen, a specificnumber of the link destinations may be selected from a top of the linkdestinations regardless of the separation distance.

The separation distance detection unit may sense a change in capacitancebetween the operating tool and a conductive layer provided on thedisplay screen, and may detect the separation distance.

The separation distance detection unit may include an optical sensorthat detects reflected light which is light emitted from a light sourcetoward the operating tool reflected by the operating tool, and an areacalculation unit that calculates, from intensity distribution of thereflected light detected by the optical sensor, an area of an imageformed on the display screen by the operating tool. The link selectionunit may select, in a case the area corresponding to the separationdistance is a specific threshold or less, the link destination whosedisplay is at least partially located in the area for a specific time.

The link selection unit may perform, according to a specific standard,ranking of the other link destination selected, with respect to TCPconnection establishment.

The link selection unit may give the link destination which has beenselected specific times or more a higher place in a ranking forestablishment.

The link selection unit may give a higher place in the ranking to thelink destination whose round-trip time is a specific threshold or more.

The link selection unit may perform ranking with respect to the TCPconnection establishment according to a domain name or an IP address ofthe link destination.

The information processing apparatus may further include a dataacquisition unit that acquires the display control data and related datarelated to the display control data. The data acquisition unit mayhandle a data acquisition request from the first structuring unit inpriority to a data acquisition request from the second structuring unit.

The connection establishment unit may acquire, when a host address ofthe link destination is decided, an IP address corresponding to the hostaddress before prefetching of the display control data or establishmentof the TCP connection.

The information processing apparatus may further include a cache memoryin which the display control data and the related data acquired by thedata acquisition unit upon requests from the first structuring unit andthe second structuring unit are stored. The display control unit mayswitch display based on data stored in the cache memory, at a time pointof all the display control data required for display based on the secondstructured data having been stored in the cache memory.

The second structuring unit does not have to generate the secondstructured data in a case the structural unit in which the informationrelating to display control involving script processing is written isnot present in the structural units extracted by the structure analysisunit.

The information processing apparatus may further include a displayhistory storage unit that stores a history including a structural unitcorresponding to content displayed on the display screen at a time ofperforming display based on the first structured data. The displaycontrol unit may select, at a time of switching to display based on thesecond structured data, a structural unit corresponding to content to bedisplayed on the display screen, based on display history stored in thedisplay history storage unit.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a data acquisition method which includes the steps of detectinga separation distance between an operating tool in contact with or inproximity to a display screen and the display screen, selecting, in acase the separation distance detected in the step of detecting aseparation distance is a specific threshold or less, a link destinationwhose display is at least partially located for a specific time in aregion of the display screen corresponding to the operating tool, amongat least one link destination displayed on the display screen,acquiring, before the link destination is selected by the operatingtool, information relating to a layout of a display screen and displaycontrol data including at least a structural unit in which theinformation relating to a layout of a display screen is written, thedisplay control data and the information relating to a layout of adisplay screen existing at the link destination selected in the step ofselecting a link destination, analysing the display control data andextracting structural units included in the display control data, in acase the link destination whose display control data has been acquiredin the step of acquiring display control data performed prior toselection by the operating tool is selected by the operating tool,generating, in a case the link destination whose display control datahas been acquired in the step of acquiring display control dataperformed prior to selection by the operating tool is selected by theoperating tool, first structured data for display control by mutuallylinking, except for a structural unit in which information relating todisplay control involving script processing is written, the structuralunits including at least the structural unit in which the informationrelating to a layout of a display screen is written, among thestructural units extracted in the step of extracting structural units,generating, in a case the link destination whose display control datahas been acquired in the step of acquiring display control dataperformed prior to selection by the operating tool is selected by theoperating tool, second structured data for display control by mutuallylinking the structural units, displaying a display screen by using thefirst structured data generated in the step of generating firststructured data, and redisplaying, at a stage the second structured datais generated, the display screen by using the second structured data.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a program for causing a computer to realize a separationdistance detection function of detecting a separation distance betweenan operating tool in contact with or in proximity to a display screenand the display screen, a link selection function of selecting, in acase the separation distance detected by the separation distancedetection function is a specific threshold or less, a link destinationwhose display is at least partially located for a specific time in aregion of the display screen corresponding to the operating tool, amongat least one link destination displayed on the display screen, a dataprefetch function of acquiring, before the link destination is selectedby the operating tool, information relating to a layout of a displayscreen and display control data including at least a structural unit inwhich the information relating to a layout of a display screen iswritten, the display control data and the information relating to alayout of a display screen existing at the link destination selected bythe link selection function, a structure analysis function of analysingthe display control data and extracting structural units included in thedisplay control data, in a case the link destination whose displaycontrol data has been acquired by the data prefetch function is selectedby the operating tool, a first structuring function of generating, in acase the link destination whose display control data has been acquiredby the data prefetch function is selected by the operating tool, firststructured data for display control by mutually linking, except for astructural unit in which information relating to display controlinvolving script processing is written, the structural units includingat least the structural unit in which the information relating to alayout of a display screen is written, among the structural unitsextracted by the structure analysis function, a second structuringfunction of generating, in a case the link destination whose displaycontrol data has been acquired by the data prefetch function is selectedby the operating tool, second structured data for display control bymutually linking the structural units, and a display control function ofdisplaying a display screen by using the first structured data generatedby the first structuring function, and redisplaying, at a stage thesecond structured data is generated by the second structuring function,the display screen by using the second structured data.

According to the embodiments of the present invention described above,the display delay of a page caused by the sequential nature of scriptprocessing can be reduced, and a well laid-out page can be quicklydisplayed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a page displayprocess by a Web browser;

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of a DOM and a flowof a page display process based on the DOM;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a file download sequence of aWeb browser;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an analysis result of a pagedisplay time of a standard Web browser;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an analysis result of a pagedisplay time of a Web browser where script processing is not executed;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a page display processingsequence of a standard Web browser;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a page display processingsequence of a Web browser according to the first embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a page display processingsequence of the Web browser according to the embodiment;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a page display processingsequence of the Web browser according to the embodiment;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the functionalconfiguration of an information processing apparatus according to theembodiment;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a display controlprocess by the information processing apparatus according to theembodiment;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a measurement result of a pagedisplay time in a case of adopting a display control method according tothe embodiment;

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a measurement result of a pagedisplay time in a case of adopting the display control method accordingto the embodiment;

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a measurement result of a pagedisplay time in a case of adopting the display control method accordingto the embodiment;

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between thestructure of a DOM and a display result;

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between thestructure of a DOM and a display result;

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between thestructure of a DOM and a display result;

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 28 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 29 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 30 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 31 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 32 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 33 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 34 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 35 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on a standard display control method;

FIG. 36 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 37 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 38 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 39 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 40 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 41 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 42 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 43 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 44 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 45 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 46 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 47 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 48 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 49 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 50 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 51 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 52 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 53 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 54 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 55 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 56 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 57 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 58 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 59 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 60 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 61 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 62 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 63 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 64 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 65 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 66 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 67 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 68 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of an HTML fileexecution process based on the display control method according to theembodiment;

FIG. 69 is an explanatory diagram showing a prefetching method accordingto the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 70 is an explanatory diagram showing a difference in effects ofprefetching according to types of prefetch targets;

FIG. 71 is an explanatory diagram showing a difference in effects ofprefetching according to types of prefetch targets;

FIG. 72 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of selecting aprefetch target;

FIG. 73 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the functionalconfiguration of an information processing apparatus according to theembodiment;

FIG. 74 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a prefetch processby the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment;

FIG. 75 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a prefetch processaccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 76 is an explanatory diagram showing a difference in effectsaccording to types of prefetching;

FIG. 77 is an explanatory diagram showing a pre-connection methodaccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 78 is an explanatory diagram showing a pre-connection methodaccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 79 is an explanatory diagram showing a difference in connectionestablishment times depending on the difference in TLD;

FIG. 80 is an explanatory diagram showing a difference in connectionestablishment times depending on the difference in target country;

FIG. 81 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of a prefetchingmethod based on a proximity distance according to the third embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 82 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the functionalconfiguration of an information processing apparatus according to theembodiment;

FIG. 83 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a proximitydetection process and prefetch process by the information processingapparatus according to the embodiment;

FIG. 84 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of the prefetch processaccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 85 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of detecting anoperating tool by an in-cell touch panel; and

FIG. 86 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the hardwareconfiguration of an information processing apparatus capable ofrealizing the function of the information processing apparatus accordingto each embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S)

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the appended drawings. Note that,in this specification and the appended drawings, structural elementsthat have substantially the same function and structure are denoted withthe same reference numerals, and repeated explanation of thesestructural elements is omitted.

<Flow of Description>

The flow of describing embodiments of the present invention describedbelow will be briefly mentioned here. First, before describing in detailthe technical configuration according to the present embodiment, astandard configuration relating to a page display process by a Webbrowser will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. Then, a Webpage display processing sequence according to the first embodiment ofthe present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9.Then, a functional configuration and an operation of an informationprocessing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

Next, an effect of reducing page display time obtained in the case ofadopting a display control method according to the embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14. Then, the relationshipbetween the difference in DOM structure and the difference in displayresult will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17. Then, tocompare against the technology of the embodiment, a standard HTML fileexecution process will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. 18to 35. Then, an HTML file execution process according to the embodimentwill be described with reference to FIGS. 36 to 68.

Next, a prefetching method according to the second embodiment of thepresent invention will be described with reference to FIG. 69. Then, adifference in effects according to types of prefetch targets will beindicated with reference to FIGS. 70 and 71 while describing a highlyeffective method of selecting a prefetch target with reference to FIG.72. Then, a functional configuration and an operation of an informationprocessing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 73 and 74. Then, a flow of a prefetch processaccording to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 75.Then, a difference in effects according to types of prefetching will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 76.

Next, a pre-connection method according to the embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 77 and 78. Then, with reference toFIGS. 79 and 80, effects of the pre-connection will be compared inrelation to TLD and target country.

Next, a method of integrating proximity detection and a prefetch processaccording to the third embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 81. Then, a functional configurationand an operation of an information processing apparatus 100 according tothe embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 82 and 83.Then, a flow of the prefetch process according to the embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 84. Then, a structure and an operationof an in-cell touch panel that can be used for the proximity detectionaccording to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 85.

Next, an example of the hardware configuration capable of realizing thefunctions of the information processing apparatuses 100 according to thefirst to third embodiments will be described with reference to FIG. 86.Lastly, the technical ideas of the embodiments will be summarized andoperational effects obtained by the technical ideas will be brieflydescribed.

(Description Items)

1: Introduction

1-1: Operation of Web Browser

1-2: Display Time Analysis Result

2: First Embodiment

2-1: Operation of Web Browser

2-2: Functional Configuration of Information Processing Apparatus 100

2-3: Operation of Information Processing Apparatus 100

2-4: Effect on Display Time

2-5: Comparison Between Display Results according to Difference in DOMStructures

2-6: Concrete Example of DOM Building Steps

3: Second Embodiment

3-1: Effect of Prefetching (Consideration)

3-2: Functional Configuration of Information Processing Apparatus 100

3-3: Operation of Information Processing Apparatus 100

3-4: Flow of Prefetch Process

3-5: Effect of Prefetching

3-6: Effect of Pre-Connection (Consideration)

4: Third Embodiment

4-1: Integration of Proximity Detection and Prefetch Process

4-2: Functional Configuration of Information Processing Apparatus 100

4-3: Operation of Information Processing Apparatus 100

4-4: Flow of Prefetch Process based on Proximity Detection

4-5: Structure of Touch Panel Capable of Proximity Detection (In-CellTouch Panel)

5: Hardware Configuration Example of Information Processing Apparatus100 6: Summary 1: INTRODUCTION

First, before describing the embodiments of the present invention, a Webpage display process by a Web browser will be described. An explanationwill be given here on a standard flow of processes performed by a Webbrowser, from the acquisition of an HTML file to the display of a Webpage (hereinafter, display processing sequence).

<1-1: Operation of Web Browser>

A display processing sequence by a standard Web browser 10 is shown inFIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the Web browser 10 first requests a Webserver 310 for an HTML file (step S11). Then, the Web browser 10acquires the HTML file transmitted by the Web server 310 in response tothe request (step S12). Then, the Web browser 10 analyses the acquiredHTML file (step S13).

At this time, the Web browser 10 analyses the structure of the HTML byusing a parser program called HTML parser 11. As has been described, theHTML file is written by using specific tags that define the structuralunits. Accordingly, by using the parser program, a structural unitdelimited by the tags can be extracted, or the relationship between thestructural units can be analysed. The HTML parser 11 analyses the HTMLfile, and requests a Web server 320 for an external resource whereappropriate (step S14).

The external resource here is, for example, a style sheet file thatdefines layout information and a script file that defines scriptinformation. Now, when an external resource is transmitted from the Webserver 320 in response to the request, the Web browser 10 acquires theexternal resource transmitted by the Web server 320 (step S15). Theexternal resource acquired in step S15 is used for the process of stepS16 or S17 depending on its type. Also, information on the structuralunit extracted from the HTML file by the HTML parser 11 is used at thetime of building a DOM 12.

When the external resource acquired in step S15 is a CSS file, the Webbrowser 10 applies the CSS (step S16). Also, when the external resourceacquired in step S15 is a script file, the Web browser 10 performsscript processing by a script engine 13 (step S17). After performing theprocess of step S16 or S17, the Web browser 10 builds the DOM 12. Then,the Web browser 10 creates various drawing elements based on the DOM 12that has been built (step S18). Then, the Web browser 10 loads a plug-inas appropriate (step S19), and displays a Web page (step S20).

As described, various processes are performed until a Web page isdisplayed. Many of these processes are performed before the building ofthe DOM 12.

(DOM 12)

Here, the Process of Building the DOM 12, and the Process of Displayinga Web page based on the DOM 12 that has been built will be described ingreater detail with reference to FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the DOM 12 is a tree structure built by linking thestructural units of the HTML file extracted by the HTML parser 11. Moreproperly, the DOM 12 is an API (Application Program Interface) forhandling the structure or the contents of an HTML (or an XML). Forexample, let us assume that multiple structural units (A1 to A7) fordefining the display configuration of a Web page are included in theHTML file. These structural units are extracted in an analysis processby the HTML parser 11, and are mutually linked and built into the formof the DOM 12.

Note that the tree structure of the DOM 12 illustrated in FIG. 2 is aconceptual expression of a structure recognized by the Web browser. AWeb page that is actually viewed by a user is created by a renderingengine of the Web browser 10 based on the tree structure of the DOM 12.The process of displaying a Web page is complete when the Web browser 10has adjusted, after building the DOM 12, a display layout based on thetree structure of the DOM 12 and has embedded content such as image dataand text data in a specific location in the display layout. Asdescribed, the building of the DOM 12 serves as a premise for displayinga Web page.

<1-2: Display Time Analysis Result>

Here, the relationship between the timing of building the DOM 12 and thetime it takes to display a Web page will be considered with reference toFIGS. 3 to 5.

(Download Sequence)

As described above, the building of the DOM 12 is performed after atleast the completion of the analysis of the HTML file by the HTML parser11, the application of CSS and the execution of script processing. Moreparticularly, a processing sequence as shown in FIG. 3 is performed. Theprocessing sequence shown in FIG. 3 is illustrated with a premise thattime runs from left to right. That is, processes are performed in orderfrom the process shown on the left side.

As shown in FIG. 3, when a redirect to a Web page or the like occurs, anHTML file is downloaded by the Web browser 10. Additionally, at the timeof downloading the file, time taken for name resolution through DNS,time taken for establishing a connection to a Web server, a wait time,and the like become necessary. The download time of each file shown inFIG. 3 includes these times. When the download of the HTML file iscomplete, the Web browser 10 analyses the downloaded HTML file.

Then, the Web browser 10 downloads a CSS file or a JS file asappropriate, based on the analysis result of the HTML file.Additionally, the download of the CSS file or the JS file may beperformed during the analysis of the HTML file. Also, multiple CSS filesor multiple JS files may be downloaded. Furthermore, image data and thelike (Image etc.) is downloaded in accordance with the analysis resultof the HTML file. When all the CSS files and the JS files aredownloaded, the structural elements for building the DOM 12 aredetermined.

When all the structural elements for building the DOM 12 are ready,rendering of the DOM 12 is started by the rendering engine of the Webbrowser 10. At this time, it is not necessary that all the pieces of theimage data and the like are downloaded. Also, when the rendering hasprogressed to a certain degree, operation by a user is enabled. Next,when all the pieces of image data and the like are downloaded and therendering of the DOM 12 is complete, display of a Web page is complete.Display of a complete Web page is completed at this time point. Asdescribed, in the display processing sequence of a standard Web browser10, the DOM 12 is not established until the HTML file, the CSS file andthe JS file are all downloaded.

(Time Taken for Displaying Web Page)

Now, the download sequence illustrated in FIG. 3 only shows the order ofthe processes. Thus, the length of time that each process actually takesis not known from the example shown in FIG. 3. Accordingly, a result ofmeasuring the length of time taken for each process by actually usingthe Web browser 10 is shown in FIG. 4.

Moreover, the example of FIG. 4 shows the time that has been actuallymeasured, but the actual value of the time is variable depending on themeasurement environment. Accordingly, attention should be focused on therelative length of the time taken for each process. Furthermore, avertical line indicating an initial time and a vertical line indicatinga complete time are shown in FIG. 4. The initial time here means thetime until the operation by a user can be started. On the other hand,the complete time here means the time until all the files and all thepieces of data are downloaded and a Web page is displayed in a completeform.

First, attention will be paid on the processing of the CSS file. Theprocessing of the CSS file is started when a time of about 2500 ms haselapsed since the occurrence of a redirect (0 ms), and is performedcontinuously for about 2500 ms. Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 4,processing is started at the same time for three CSS files.

Next, attention will be paid on the processing of the JS file. Theprocessing of the JS file is simultaneously started when the processingof the CSS file is started. However, processing of only one JS file isstarted at this time point. The processing of the second JS file isstarted after the completion of the processing of the first JS file.Also at this time point, processing is started only for one JS file.Likewise, processing is performed for one JS file at a time untilprocessing of all the JS files is complete. As a result, a time of about12000 ms is taken for the processing of all the JS files.

Subsequently, download of image data and the like, rendering of a DOM,and the like are performed, and Web page display processing isperformed. These processes are performed simultaneously in parallel, andthe processing time taken for displaying a Web page is not greatlyaffected.

What can be said from the measurement result illustrated in FIG. 4 isthat the proportion of the time taken for processing the JS file to thetime taken until a Web page is displayed is significantly high. The mainreason that the processing of the JS file takes time is that thedownload and execution of multiple JS files are not able to be performedin parallel. This situation occurs because, in a case the JS files aredefined in a nested manner, the download and execution of a following JSfile are not possible until the download and execution of the precedingJS file are complete. Although the JS file is taken as an example here,the same can be said also for a script file written in another scriptlanguage.

Accordingly, the inventors of the present invention have devised amethod of performing the download and execution of the JS file after theother processes. To estimate the effect obtained in the case of applyingthis method, a simulation as illustrated in FIG. 5 is performed. As canbe seen from the result, when the download and execution of the JS fileare performed later, the initial time is reduced to 7 seconds.Incidentally, since the initial time is 22 seconds in the example ofFIG. 4, the initial time is reduced by 15 seconds by performing thedownload and execution of the JS file at a later sequence. However, theexample of FIG. 5 is only a simulation, and in reality, variousmodifications have to be made to put the download and execution of theJS file at a later sequence.

2: FIRST EMBODIMENT

As described above, time taken for displaying a Web page can bedrastically reduced by performing the download and execution of a scriptfile at a later sequence. In the following, a mechanism for putting theprocessing on a script file at a later sequence will be described. Thefirst embodiment of the present invention relates to an apparatus and amethod for realizing such mechanism.

<2-1: Operation of Web Browser>

First, the processing sequence of a Web browser according to the presentembodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9. Note thatthe processing sequence shown in FIG. 6 is the processing sequence of astandard Web browser shown for comparison with the processing sequenceaccording to the present embodiment.

(Standard Processing Sequence)

As shown in FIG. 6, the processing sequence of a standard Web browser isperformed in the order of processing of an HTML file, {processing of aCSS file, processing of a JS file}, building of a DOM, and download ofimage data and the like, as described above. That is, this series ofprocesses is executed by one thread (first thread).

(Processing Sequence of Present Embodiment)

On the other hand, the processing sequence according to the presentembodiment is performed by two threads (first and second threads) asshown in FIG. 7. In the first thread, processing of an HTML file,processing of a CSS file and download of image data and the like areperformed, and a simple DOM (hereinafter, temporary DOM) is built at thestage of completion of the processing of the CSS file. Then, a Web pageis displayed based on the temporary DOM.

On the other hand, in the second thread, processing of a JS file isperformed, and the final DOM (hereinafter, complete DOM) is built at thestage of completion of the processing of the JS file. Furthermore, imagedata and the like not acquired by the first thread is downloaded, and aWeb page is displayed based on the complete DOM. At this time, the Webpage displayed based on the temporary DOM is updated to the Web pagedisplayed based on the complete DOM (see FIG. 8).

As has been described with reference to a simulation result, the timingof building a DOM was delayed due to the processing of the JS file beingincluded, and the time taken until the display of a Web page was long asa result. However, the building of a temporary DOM to be built by thefirst thread is performed independently of the processing of the JSfile. Thus, the building of the temporary DOM is performed at a veryearly timing compared to the building timing of the DOM by a standardWeb browser.

However, the structural unit related to the processing of the JS file isnot included in the temporary DOM. Therefore, the Web page displayedbased on the temporary DOM is different from the Web page displayedbased on the complete DOM including the structural unit related to theprocessing of the JS file. However, the processing sequence according tothe present embodiment includes an operation by the second thread forbuilding the complete DOM that includes the structural unit related tothe processing of the JS file. Also, since the display is switched tothat of the Web page based on the complete DOM at the timing of thecompletion of the processing by the second thread, discomfort felt by auser due to the difference in the Web pages can be resolved. Asdescribed, by applying the processing sequence according to the presentembodiment, a challenging task of combining the quick display of a Webpage and the display of the right Web page can achieved.

Moreover, in reality, some files of the structural units which will benodes of the DOM are overlapped for the temporary DOM built by the firstthread and the complete DOM built by the second thread. Accordingly, inrelation to the download of each file, it is efficient to execute adownload manager thread, and to use, by the first and second threads,the files that the download manager thread acquired, as shown in FIG. 9.For example, the download manager thread is exclusively in charge of thedownload of the HTML file, the CSS file, the JS file, the image data,and the like. Additionally, the download timing is as shown in FIGS. 7and 8.

Heretofore, the processing sequence according to the present embodimenthas been described.

<2-2: Functional Configuration of Information Processing Apparatus 100>

Next, the functional configuration of the information processingapparatus 100 that is capable of realizing the above idea will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagramshowing an example of the functional configuration of the informationprocessing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.Additionally, to distinguish from information processing apparatuses 100according to the second and third embodiments, the informationprocessing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment may besometimes referred to as an information processing apparatus 100A.

As shown in FIG. 10, the information processing apparatus 100 is mainlyconfigured from a data acquisition unit 110, a structure analysis unit120, a rendering unit 130, and a display unit 140. Furthermore, therendering unit 130 includes a temporary DOM creation unit 131, acomplete DOM creation unit 132, a cache memory 133, a display controlunit 134, and a node information storage unit 135.

When a redirect occurs, first, an HTML file is downloaded by the dataacquisition unit 110. Then, the HTML file downloaded by the dataacquisition unit 110 is input to the structure analysis unit 120. Whenthe HTML file is input, the structure analysis unit 120 analyses thestructure of the HTML file, and extracts the structural unit of the HTMLfile. Then, the structure analysis unit 120 transmits, as appropriate,requests for a CSS file and a JS file to the Web servers 310 and 320 viathe data acquisition unit 110.

When a CSS file and a JS file are transmitted from the Web servers 310and 320 in response to the requests, the data acquisition unit 110receives the CSS file and the JS file that have been transmitted. TheCSS file and the JS file received by the data acquisition unit 110 areinput to the structure analysis unit 120. When the CSS file is input,the structure analysis unit 120 performs a process of applying the CSSfile. Also, when the JS file is input, the structure analysis unit 120executes the input JS file. At this time, JS files are sequentiallyacquired as appropriate, and are executed by the structure analysis unit120.

The result of CSS file application by the structure analysis unit 120 isinput to both the temporary DOM creation unit 131 and the complete DOMcreation unit 132, and the result of JS file execution is input to thecomplete DOM creation unit 132. Also, the structure analysis unit 120inputs information on the structural unit extracted from the HTML fileto the temporary DOM creation unit 131 and the complete DOM creationunit 132. However, information on the structural unit relating to theprocessing of the JS file is not input to the temporary DOM creationunit 131. Furthermore, based on the analysis result of the HTML file,the structure analysis unit 120 requests the data acquisition unit 110for the acquisition of image data and the like as appropriate. The imagedata and the like acquired by the data acquisition unit 110 in responseto such request is input to the display control unit 134 via thetemporary DOM creation unit 131 and the complete DOM creation unit 132.

As described above, the structural units of the HTML file, excluding thestructural unit relating to the processing of the JS file, are input tothe temporary DOM creation unit 131. Thus, the temporary DOM creationunit 131 forms a tree structure by mutually linking the input structuralunits, and builds a temporary DOM. Information on the temporary DOMbuilt by the temporary DOM creation unit 131 is input to the displaycontrol unit 134. On the other hand, all the structural units of theHTML file, including the structural unit relating to the processing ofthe JS file, are input to the complete DOM creation unit 132. However,since the acquisition of the JS file takes a long time due to thesequential nature of the processing of the JS file, the input ofinformation on all the structural units and data takes a relatively longtime. As a result, building of the complete DOM is completed some timeafter the building of the temporary DOM.

When the information relating to all the structural units of the HTMLfile, including the information relating to the processing of the JSfile, is input, the complete DOM creation unit 132 forms a treestructure by mutually linking the input structural units, and builds acomplete DOM. Then, information on the complete DOM built by thecomplete DOM creation unit 132 is input to the display control unit 134.Furthermore, the complete DOM creation unit 132 acquires all the imagedata and the like necessary for displaying a Web page based on thecomplete DOM, and stores the same in the cache memory 133. By storingall the data necessary for displaying a Web page in the cache memory133, a Web page displayed based on the temporary DOM can be quicklyreplaced with a Web page based on the complete DOM.

As described above, information on the temporary DOM and image data andthe like are input from the temporary DOM creation unit 131 to thedisplay control unit 134. When the information on the temporary DOM andthe image data and the like are input, the display control unit 134performs rendering based on the temporary DOM, and creates a Web pagebased on the temporary DOM. Then, the display control unit 134 makes thedisplay unit 140 display the Web page based on the temporary DOM.Furthermore, when the information on the complete DOM and the image dataand the like are input from the complete DOM creation unit 132, thedisplay control unit 134 performs rendering based on the complete DOM,and creates a Web page based on the complete DOM. Then, the displaycontrol unit 134 replaces the Web page based on the temporary DOM withthe Web page based on the complete DOM.

At this time, the display control unit 134 reads the image data and thelike necessary for displaying a Web page stored in the cache memory 133,and makes the display unit 140 display the Web page based on thecomplete DOM. Note that when image data and the like necessary fordisplaying a Web page is not stored in the cache memory 133, the displaycontrol unit 134 acquires the image data and the like that are necessaryvia the data acquisition unit 110, and have the Web page displayed byusing the acquired image data and the like.

Furthermore, in a case scrolling or the like is performed during thedisplay of the Web page based on the temporary DOM, the display controlunit 134 stores, in the node information storage unit 135, informationon the structural unit displayed at a reference position on the displayunit 140 (hereinafter, node information). Then, at the time ofdisplaying the Web page based on the complete DOM, the display controlunit 134 reads the node information stored in the node informationstorage unit 135, and adjusts the scroll position of the Web page basedon the complete DOM such that the structural unit of the complete DOMcorresponding to the node information is displayed at the referenceposition on the display unit 140. With this configuration, thediscomfort felt by a user at the time the Web page based on thetemporary DOM is switched to the Web page based on the complete DOM canbe reduced.

Heretofore, the functional configuration of the information processingapparatus 100 according to the present embodiment has been described.

<2-3: Operation of Information Processing Apparatus 100>

Next, an operation of the information processing apparatus 100 accordingto the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 11.FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an operational flow of theinformation processing apparatus 100 according to the presentembodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11, the information processing apparatus 100 firstanalyses an HTML file, and extracts a structural unit relating to HTMLdescription, a structural unit relating to download and application of aCSS file, and a structural unit relating to download and execution of aJS file (step S101). Next, the information processing apparatus 100starts creating a temporary DOM by mutually linking, among the extractedstructural units, the structural unit relating to the HTML descriptionand the structural unit relating to the CSS file (step S102). Then, theinformation processing apparatus 100 starts creating a complete DOM bymutually linking, among the extracted structural units, the structuralunit relating to the HTML description, the structural unit relating tothe CSS file, and the structural unit relating to the JS file (stepS103).

Next, the information processing apparatus 100 determines whether thecreation of the temporary DOM is complete or not (step S104). In thecase the creation of the temporary DOM is complete, the informationprocessing apparatus 100 proceeds to the step of S105. On the otherhand, in the case the creation of the temporary DOM is not complete, theinformation processing apparatus 100 returns to the process of stepS104. In the case of proceeding to the process of step S105, theinformation processing apparatus 100 creates a Web page by rendering thetemporary DOM, and displays the same on a display screen (step S105).

Next, the information processing apparatus 100 determines whether thecreation of the complete DOM is complete or not (step S106). In the casethe creation of the complete DOM is complete, the information processingapparatus 100 proceeds to the process of step S107. On the other hand,in the case the creation of the complete DOM is not complete, theinformation processing apparatus 100 returns to the process of stepS106. In the case of proceeding to the process of step S107, theinformation processing apparatus 100 creates a Web page by rendering thecomplete DOM, displays the Web page on the display screen instead of theWeb page based on the temporary DOM (step S107), and ends the series ofprocesses.

Heretofore, the operational flow of the information processing apparatus100 according to the present embodiment has been described.

<2-4: Effect on Display Time>

Here, an effect obtained in the case of applying the processing sequenceaccording to the present embodiment will be described with reference toFIGS. 12 to 14. The initial time obtained by the processing sequence ofa standard Web browser and the initial time obtained by the processingsequence according to the present embodiment are shown in comparison toeach other in FIGS. 12 and 14. Also, the complete time obtained by theprocessing sequence of a standard Web browser and the complete timeobtained by the processing sequence according to the present embodimentare shown in comparison to each other in FIG. 13.

First, reference will be made to FIG. 12. As shown in FIG. 12, althoughdepending on the structure of the Web page and the measurementenvironment, the initial time was reduced by 37% on average in the caseof applying the processing sequence according to the present embodiment.Particularly, it was confirmed that the effect is significant for a Webpage that heavily uses JS.

Next, reference will be made to FIG. 13. In FIG. 13, the complete timeis compared between the processing sequence according to the presentembodiment performed by two threads and the processing sequence of astandard Web browser performed by one thread. As can be seen from FIG.13, although two threads are operating in the case of the processingsequence according to the present embodiment, the time until a Web pagebased on a complete DOM is fully displayed is about the same as thecomplete time of a standard Web browser performing with one thread. Thisis because the two threads are performing the processing simultaneouslyin parallel.

Next, reference will be made to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 shows a result ofcomparison between the initial times for the cases where a high-speedoptical line is used. As shown in FIG. 14, also in a case of using ahigh-speed line with wide bandwidth, the speed is higher by 30% onaverage for the case of applying the processing sequence according tothe present embodiment. The slowness of the rise of the bandwidth isconsidered to be the main factor for such result. That is, a user usinga line with wide bandwidth can also experience the effect by applyingthe processing sequence according to the present embodiment.

Heretofore, an effect obtained by applying the processing sequenceaccording to the present embodiment has been described.

<2-5: Comparison Between Display Results according to Difference in DOMStructures>

An effect obtained by applying the processing sequence according to thepresent embodiment has been made clear. However, it would be meaninglessif a Web page based on the temporary DOM is disturbing to look at. Thedifference between the display results based on the difference in theDOM structure will be considered with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17.

(D1: HTML File Only)

First, reference will be made to FIG. 15. FIG. 15 shows a displayconfiguration of a case where a simple DOM is built by using only anHTML file, and a Web page is displayed based on the simple DOM. In thecase of only the HTML file, the layout is not particularly specified,and thus a display result in which text data T and image data M1 aresimply vertically arranged is obtained. In this case, as illustrated inFIG. 15, the structure of the simple DOM will have a tree structure thattakes the structural unit of HTML tags as a root, and the structuralunits of HEAD tags and BODY tags as nodes in the first hierarchy.Furthermore, a node corresponding to the text data T and a nodecorresponding to the image data M1 are linked to the lower hierarchy(second hierarchy) of the structural unit of the BODY tags, for example.

(D2: HTML File+CSS File)

Next, reference will be made to FIG. 16. FIG. 16 shows a displayconfiguration of a case where a simple DOM is built by using an HTMLfile and a CSS file, and a Web page is displayed based on the simpleDOM. This display configuration example corresponds to the displayconfiguration based on the temporary DOM according to the presentembodiment. In the example of FIG. 16, the layout is specified by theCSS file, and thus the display position of the text data T and thedisplay position of the image data M1 are adjusted.

In this case, the structure of the simple DOM will have a tree structurethat takes the structural unit of HTML tags as a root, and thestructural units of HEAD tags and BODY tags as nodes in the firsthierarchy. Furthermore, a node corresponding to the text data T and anode corresponding to the image data M1 are linked to the lowerhierarchy (second hierarchy) of the structural unit of the BODY tags,for example. As described, since rewriting process is not performed onthis simple DOM due to the application of the CSS file, the structure ofthe simple DOM is substantially the same as that in the case of only theHTML file.

(D3: HTML File+CSS File+JS File)

Next, reference will be made to FIG. 17. FIG. 17 shows a displayconfiguration of a case where a DOM is built by using an HTML file, aCSS file and a JS file, and a Web page is displayed based on the DOM.This display configuration example corresponds to the displayconfiguration based on the complete DOM according to the presentembodiment. In the example of FIG. 17, the layout is specified by theCSS file, and thus the display position of the text data T and thedisplay position of image data M2 are adjusted. Note that the content ofa DOM node is rewritten by the execution of the JS file. In the exampleof FIG. 17, the display specification of the image data M1 included in anode is rewritten to the display specification of the image data M2.

As described, there is a difference between the display results of a Webpage due to the structure of the simple DOM. However, as with thestructure of the temporary DOM according to the present embodiment, bytaking into consideration the structural unit relating to the CSS file,the layout of a Web page based on the temporary DOM is adjusted, andnecessary information can be presented without making a user feeldiscomfort.

<2-6: Concrete Example of DOM Building Steps>

Next, concrete examples of DOM building steps will be described withreference to FIGS. 18 to 68. DOM building steps of a standard Webbrowser will be also shown for comparison. The processing steps of FIGS.18 to 35 are DOM building steps of a standard Web browser, and theprocessing steps of FIGS. 36 to 68 are DOM building steps according tothe present embodiment.

(DOM Building Steps of Standard Web Browser)

First, DOM building steps of a standard Web browser will be described.Here, a case of executing an HTML file illustrated in FIG. 18 will bedescribed.

When a redirect occurs, an HTML file as shown in FIG. 18 is downloaded.Then, the structure of the downloaded HTML file is analysed. First, asshown in FIG. 19, an <html> tag at the beginning of the HTML file isread, and the structural unit delimited by <html> tags is recognized asthe root of a DOM. Then, as shown in FIG. 20, a <head> tag is read, andthe structural unit delimited by <head> tags is recognized as a nodesubordinate to the root of the DOM. At this time, the root correspondingto the <html> tag and the node corresponding to the <head> tag arelinked to each other, as shown in FIG. 20.

Then, as shown in FIG. 21, a <meta . . . > tag is read, and thestructural unit delimited by the <meta . . . > tags is recognized as alower node subordinate to the <head> node. At this time, as shown inFIG. 21, the <head> node and the <meta . . . > node are linked to eachother.

Next, as shown in FIG. 22, a <title> tag is read, and the structuralunit delimited by the <title> tags is recognized as a lower nodesubordinate to the <head> node. Additionally, since the <meta . . . >tag and the <title> tag are delimited by the same <head> tags, the<title> tag is subordinate to the <head> tag, as shown in FIG. 22. Thatis, as shown in FIG. 22, the <head> node and the <title> node are linkedto each other.

Next, as shown in FIG. 23, a <script . . . > tag is read, and thestructural unit delimited by the <script . . . > tags is recognized as alower node subordinate to the <head> node. Additionally, the <meta . .. > tag, the <title> tag and the <script . . . > tag are delimited bythe same <head> tags, and thus the <script . . . > tag is subordinate tothe <head> tag, as shown in FIG. 23. That is, as shown in FIG. 23, the<head> node and the <script . . . > node are linked to each other.Additionally, the <script . . . > node is a structural unit relating tothe execution of script processing.

In the example of FIG. 23, a JS script file is associated with thestructural unit of the <script . . . > tag. Accordingly, as shown inFIG. 24, when the <script . . . > tag is read, a JS script file isdownloaded, and the downloaded JS script file is executed. At this time,if a description for changing the DOM structure is included in the JSscript file, the DOM structure is changed at this stage. For example, inthe case “document.title=‘new title’;” is described in the JS scriptfile as shown in FIG. 25, the contents of the <title> tag are changed,and thus the <title> node included in the DOM is updated.

Next, as shown in FIG. 26, a <link . . . > tag is read, and thestructural unit delimited by the <link . . . > tags is recognized as alower node subordinate to the <head> node. Additionally, the <meta . .. > tag, the <title> tag, the <script . . . > tag and the <link . . . >tag are delimited by the same <head> tags, and thus the <link . . . >tag is subordinate to the <head> tag, as shown in FIG. 26. That is, asshown in FIG. 26, the <head> node and the <link . . . > node are linkedto each other.

Additionally, in the example of FIG. 26, a CSS file is associated by the<link . . . > tag. Thus, the <link . . . > node is a structural unitrelating to the definition of the layout. Accordingly, as shown in FIG.27, when the <link . . . > tag is read, a CSS file is downloaded, andthe downloaded CSS file is applied. For example, in the case“body{text-align:right}” is described in the CSS file as shown in FIG.27, the display layout of text data is set to right-align.

Next, as shown in FIG. 28, the </head> indicating the end position ofthe structural unit delimited by the <head> tags is read, and thebuilding of the DOM tree subordinate to the <head> node is complete.Then, as shown in FIG. 29, a <body> tag is read, and the structural unitdelimited by the <body> tags is recognized as a node subordinate to theroot. That is, as shown in FIG. 29, the root and the <body> node arelinked to each other. Then, as shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, the contents ofthe structural unit delimited by the <body> tags are read.

As shown in FIG. 31, specification of image data is included in thestructural unit delimited by the <body> tags. Thus, the specified imagedata is downloaded as shown in FIG. 32. Note that, as shown in FIGS. 32to 35, the process of building the DOM is continued during the downloadof the image data. Then, the </body> tag indicating the end position ofthe structural unit delimited by the <body> tags is read and the </html>tag indicating the end position of the structural unit delimited by the<html> tags is read, and the analysis of the HTML file is ended. Thus,the creation of the DOM is completed.

Heretofore, the DOM building steps of a standard Web browser has beenconcretely described. As described, the DOM building steps of a standardWeb browser include steps of downloading and executing a JS script file.Thus, the building of the DOM takes a long time due to the sequentialnature of the script processing.

(DOM Building Steps According to Present Embodiment)

Next, DOM building steps according to the present embodiment will bedescribed. Additionally, the same file as the above-described exampleshown in FIG. 18 will be used as the HTML file to be read (see FIG. 36).Also, in the explanation below, processing by a first thread meansprocessing relating to the creation of a temporary DOM, and processingby a second thread means processing relating to the creation of acomplete DOM.

(Processing by First Thread)

First, processing by a first thread will be described.

When a redirect occurs, an HTML file is downloaded as shown in FIG. 36.Then, the structure of the downloaded HTML file is analysed. First, asshown in FIG. 37, an <html> tag at the beginning of the HTML file isread, and the structural unit delimited by <html> tags is recognized asthe root of a DOM. Then, as shown in FIG. 38, a <head> tag is read, andthe structural unit delimited by <head> tags is recognized as a nodesubordinate to the root of the DOM. At this time, the root correspondingto the <html> tag and the node corresponding to the <head> tag arelinked to each other, as shown in FIG. 38.

Then, as shown in FIG. 39, a <meta . . . > tag is read, and thestructural unit delimited by the <meta . . . > tags is recognized as alower node subordinate to the <head> node. At this time, as shown inFIG. 39, the <head> node and the <meta . . . > node are linked to eachother.

Next, as shown in FIG. 40, a <title> tag is read, and the structuralunit delimited by the <title> tags is recognized as a lower nodesubordinate to the <head> node. Additionally, since the <meta . . . >tag and the <title> tag are delimited by the same <head> tags, the<title> tag is subordinate to the <head> tag, as shown in FIG. 40. Thatis, as shown in FIG. 40, the <head> node and the <title> node are linkedto each other.

Next, as shown in FIG. 41, a <script . . . > tag is read. However, inthe DOM building steps by the first thread according to the presentembodiment, the <script . . . > tag is skipped as shown in FIG. 42, andprocessing relating to the structural unit delimited by the <script . .. > tags is not performed. That is, the download and execution of a JSscript file are not performed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 43, a <link . . . > tag is read, and thestructural unit delimited by the <link . . . > tags is recognized as alower node subordinate to the <head> node. Additionally, the <meta . .. > tag, the <title> tag, the <script . . . > tag and the <link . . . >tag are delimited by the same <head> tags, and thus the <link . . . >tag is subordinate to the <head> tag, as shown in FIG. 43. That is, asshown in FIG. 43, the <head> node and the <link . . . > node are linkedto each other.

Additionally, in the example of FIG. 43, a CSS file is associated by the<link . . . > tag. Thus, the <link . . . > node is a structural unitrelating to the definition of the layout. Accordingly, as shown in FIG.44, when the <link . . . > tag is read, a CSS file is downloaded, andthe downloaded CSS file is applied. For example, in the case“body{text-align:right}” is described in the CSS file as shown in FIG.44, the display layout of text data is set to right-align.

Next, as shown in FIG. 45, the </head> indicating the end position ofthe structural unit delimited by the <head> tags is read, and thebuilding of the DOM tree subordinate to the <head> node is complete.Then, as shown in FIG. 46, a <body> tag is read, and the structural unitdelimited by the <body> tags is recognized as a node subordinate to theroot. That is, as shown in FIG. 46, the root and the <body> node arelinked to each other. Then, as shown in FIGS. 47 and 48, the contents ofthe structural unit delimited by the <body> tag are read.

As shown in FIG. 48, specification of image data is included in thestructural unit delimited by the <body> tags. Thus, the specified imagedata is downloaded as shown in FIG. 49. Note that, as shown in FIGS. 49to 52, the process of building the temporary DOM is continued during thedownload of the image data. Then, the </body> tag indicating the endposition of the structural unit delimited by the <body> tags is read andthe </html> tag indicating the end position of the structural unitdelimited by the <html> tags is read, and the analysis of the HTML fileis ended. Thus, the creation of the temporary DOM is completed.

As described, in the building steps for the temporary DOM by the firstthread, the download and execution of a JS script file are skipped.Therefore, there is no processing delay due to the sequential nature ofscript processing, and the temporary DOM can be quickly built.

(Processing by Second Thread)

Next, processing by a second thread will be described. Note that theprocessing by the second thread is started at the same timing as theprocessing by the first thread. Also, since download of various files isperformed by a download manager thread, the files that are alreadydownloaded to be used by the first thread do not have to be downloadedredundantly.

When a redirect occurs, the structure of the HTML file is analysed asshown in FIG. 53. At this time, download of necessary files is continuedby the download manager thread. First, as shown in FIG. 54, the <html>tag at the beginning of the HTML file is read, and the structural unitdelimited by <html> tags is recognized as the root of a DOM. Then, asshown in FIG. 55, a <head> tag is read, and the structural unitdelimited by <head> tags is recognized as a node subordinate to the rootof the DOM. At this time, the root corresponding to the <html> tag andthe node corresponding to the <head> tag are linked to each other, asshown in FIG. 55.

Then, as shown in FIG. 56, a <meta . . . > tag is read, and thestructural unit delimited by the <meta . . . > tags is recognized as alower node subordinate to the <head> node. At this time, as shown inFIG. 56, the <head> node and the <meta . . . > node are linked to eachother.

Next, as shown in FIG. 57, a <title> tag is read, and the structuralunit delimited by the <title> tags is recognized as a lower nodesubordinate to the <head> node. Additionally, since the <meta . . . >tag and the <title> tag are delimited by the same <head> tags, the<title> tag is subordinate to the <head> tag, as shown in FIG. 57. Thatis, as shown in FIG. 57, the <head> node and the <title> node are linkedto each other.

Next, as shown in FIG. 58, a <script . . . > tag is read, and thestructural unit delimited by the <script . . . > tags is recognized as alower node subordinate to the <head> node. Additionally, the <meta . .. > tag, the <title> tag and the <script . . . > tag are delimited bythe same <head> tags, and thus the <script . . . > tag is subordinate tothe <head> tag, as shown in FIG. 58. That is, as shown in FIG. 58, the<head> node and the <script . . . > node are linked to each other.Additionally, the <script . . . > node is a structural unit relating tothe execution of script processing.

In the example of FIG. 58, a JS script file is associated with thestructural unit of the <script . . . > tag. Accordingly, as shown inFIG. 59, when the <script . . . > tag is read, a JS script file isdownloaded, and the downloaded JS script file is executed. At this time,if a description for changing the DOM structure is included in the JSscript file, the DOM structure is changed at this stage. For example, inthe case “document.title=‘new title’;” is described in the JS scriptfile as shown in FIG. 60, the contents of the <title> tag are changed,and thus the <title> node included in the complete DOM is updated.

As described, in the building steps for a DOM by the second thread, the<script . . . > tag that was skipped in the DOM building steps of thefirst thread is read, and download and execution of a JS script file areperformed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 61, a <link . . . > tag is read, and thestructural unit delimited by the <link . . . > tags is recognized as alower node subordinate to the <head> node. Additionally, the <meta . .. > tag, the <title> tag, the <script . . . > tag and the <link . . . >tag are delimited by the same <head> tags, and thus the <link . . . >tag is subordinate to the <head> tag, as shown in FIG. 61. That is, asshown in FIG. 61, the <head> node and the <link . . . > node are linkedto each other.

Additionally, in the example of FIG. 61, a CSS file is associated by the<link . . . > tag. Thus, the <link . . . > node is a structural unitrelating to the definition of the layout. Accordingly, a CSS file isapplied as in the DOM building steps by the first thread. For example,in the case “body{text-align:right}” is described in the CSS file asshown in FIG. 61, the display layout of text data is set to right-align.Note that the CSS file is already downloaded by the download managerthread.

Next, as shown in FIG. 62, a </head> indicating the end position of thestructural unit delimited by the <head> tags is read, and the buildingof the DOM tree subordinate to the <head> node is complete. Then, asshown in FIG. 63, a <body> tag is read, and the structural unitdelimited by the <body> tags is recognized as a node subordinate to theroot. That is, as shown in FIG. 63, the root and the <body> node arelinked to each other. Then, as shown in FIGS. 64 and 65, the contents ofthe structural unit delimited by the <body> tag are read.

As shown in FIG. 65, specification of image data is included in thestructural unit delimited by the <body> tags. Thus, the specified imagedata is downloaded as shown in FIG. 65. Note that the image data that isalready downloaded in the DOM building steps by the first thread is notnewly downloaded. That is, what is downloaded here is image data thatbecame newly necessary to be downloaded in the DOM building steps by thesecond thread. In the example of FIG. 65, the same image data as of theDOM building steps by the first thread is downloaded, and thus it is notnecessary to newly download the image data.

Then, as shown in FIG. 66, a </body> tag indicating the end position ofthe structural unit delimited by the <body> tags is read. Also, as shownin FIG. 67, the </html> tag indicating the end position of thestructural unit delimited by the <html> tags is read, and the analysisof the HTML file is ended. Thus, the creation of the complete DOM iscomplete, as shown in FIG. 68.

As described, in the DOM building steps by the second thread, downloadand execution of a script file that were skipped in the DOM buildingsteps by the first thread are performed, and a DOM that is meant to bebuilt (complete DOM) is created. As described above, the building stepsfor the complete DOM is substantially the same as the DOM building stepsby a standard Web browser. That is, the complete DOM is built by readingthe structural units of the HTML file including the JS in the properorder and executing the same. Accordingly, a Web page based on thecomplete DOM will have a layout and operation that accurately reflectthe intention of the author.

As has been described, when a temporary DOM is build by the firstthread, a Web page based on the temporary DOM is created by renderingthe temporary DOM, and the Web page is displayed on the screen. Sinceprocesses of download and execution of a script file are not included inthe building steps for the temporary DOM, a Web page based on thetemporary DOM is displayed quickly. On the other hand, when the buildingof a complete DOM is complete, a Web page based on the complete DOM iscreated by rendering the complete DOM, and the Web page replaces the Webpage based on the temporary DOM. Therefore, it becomes possible tobrowse a Web page having a structure that is actually intended by theauthor of the Web page.

As a result, the desire to quickly acquire necessary information and thedesire to browse a Web page that accurately reflects the intention ofthe author of the Web page can both be fulfilled. Such configuration isespecially effective in an unstable network environment such as a mobiledata line. Also, application to a device with relatively high computingcapability is desirable.

Additionally, expressions “first thread” and “second thread” are used,but the building processes of the temporary DOM/complete DOM do notnecessarily have to be performed by two real threads. That is to say, itis not necessary to prepare two real threads and to independentlyperform the processing, as long as two types of processing can belogically performed. Furthermore, in the above explanation, the analysisof an HTML file and the building of a DOM based on the structural unitsincluded in the HTML file have been described, but application is alsopossible to the analysis of a file written in other structured languageand the process of building a tree structure therefor. Such applicationexample is, of course, within the technical scope of the presentembodiment.

(Modified Example, Etc.)

Heretofore, explanation has been made on the premise that a structuralunit relating to script processing is included in the HTML file.However, in reality, many HTML files do not include a structural unitrelating to script processing. In the case of an HTML file not includinga structural unit relating to script processing, the temporary DOM andthe complete DOM built from the HTML file will have the same structure.

Accordingly, if it becomes clear during the execution of the buildingsteps for the temporary DOM that the HTML file does not include astructural unit relating to script processing, modification is made tostop the building steps for the complete DOM. Such a modification allowsto not create the complete DOM, thereby reducing the computing loadnecessary for the creation of the complete DOM. Moreover, since thecomplete DOM is not created, a process of replacing the Web page basedon the temporary DOM with the Web page based on the complete DOM is alsoomitted.

Furthermore, in the above explanation, the entire Web page was taken asthe application scope of the technology according to the presentembodiment. However, the above-described technology can also beperformed for each tab, window or frame of a Web browser. Modificationis also possible that allows specification of a domain, a URL or thelike to which the technology is to be applied. Furthermore, it is alsopossible to select a site to which the technology is to be applied basedon the length of display time detected at the time of Web browsing, andto apply the technology for a site that takes a long time to bedisplayed.

3: SECOND EMBODIMENT

Next, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.The present embodiment relates to a method of acquiring in advance(prefetching) a file necessary for displaying a Web page, before thedisplay of the Web page is requested by a user. Using this method allowsto not download a file after the display of a Web page is requested by auser, and thus time taken to display a Web page can be greatly reduced.

Additionally, a method of prefetching data used for displaying a Webpage from all the link destinations described in a Web page that isbeing browsed is already known. However, if a large number of linkdestinations are described in a Web page that is being browsed or ifthere are a large number of files for displaying a Web page at a linkdestination, the bandwidth will be taken up by the prefetching. Also, ahigh-capacity memory will be necessary to cache the prefetched files.Moreover, it is extremely difficult to appropriately select a linkdestination that is likely to be selected by a user, since it calls forprediction of the user's action. Furthermore, prediction of a user'saction calls for high computing capability, and is difficult to realizein an information processing apparatus for which the technologyaccording to the first embodiment described above will be useful. Thus,in the present embodiment, method of suppressing the size of a file tobe prefetched will be proposed, with the use of the technology accordingto the first embodiment as a premise.

<3-1: Effect of Prefetching (Consideration)>

An effect of prefetching will be described here with reference to FIGS.69 to 72.

First, reference will be made to FIG. 69. As described above, theprefetching method according to the present embodiment takes the use ofthe technology according to the first embodiment as its premise. Thatis, a method of putting the download and execution of a script file at alater sequence is taken as a premise. Therefore, prefetching of an HTMLfile and a CSS file for building a temporary DOM will be considered. Byexcluding image data and the like from the prefetching target, theamount of data to be cached by prefetching can be drastically reduced.Even with this configuration, text data is displayed in a layout that isadjusted to a certain degree, and sufficient amount of information ispresented to a user in a somewhat easy-to-view format.

FIGS. 70 and 71 compare four cases: (case 1) no prefetching, (case 2)prefetching of HTML file and CSS file, (case 3) prefetching of HTMLfile, CSS file and JS file, and (case 4) prefetching of all files.

First, reference will be made to FIG. 70. The drawing on the left inFIG. 70 compares the number of prefetched files. On the other hand, thedrawing on the right in FIG. 70 compares the total size of prefetchedfiles. As can be seen from FIG. 70, the number of files to be prefetchedand the file size are significantly larger for (case 4) compared toother cases. That is, when a standard prefetching method of prefetchingall the pieces of data configuring a Web page is applied, an extremelylarge cache memory will be necessary. On the other hand, it can beunderstood that, when prefetching methods of (case 2) and (case 3) areused, data to be cached can be reduced compared to the prefetchingmethod of (case 4) where all the pieces of data are prefetched.Furthermore, when focusing on the comparison of (case 2) and (case 3),it can be seen that there is a large difference in the amount of cacheddata simply due to the presence/absence of JS files.

Next, reference will be made to FIG. 71. FIG. 71 compares the time untilthe start of display for cases where the prefetching methods of (case 1)to (case 4) are applied to two types of Web pages. Of course, thedisplay time is short for (case 2) to (case 4) because files necessaryfor starting display of a Web page are prefetched. Furthermore, whencomparison is made based on the presence and absence of JS processing,the time-reducing effect obtained by the absence of JS processing issignificant. Of course, the level of effect obtained by omitting the JSprocessing is different depending on the type of the Web page, but thatan effect is obtained in all cases is understood. From these results, itis expected that sufficient time-reducing effect will be obtained whilesaving cache memory, by the configuration of (case 2) where only theHTML file and the CSS file are prefetched.

Furthermore, by combining the present embodiment with the technology ofthe first embodiment and by structuring a temporary DOM from theprefetched HTML file and CSS file and displaying a Web page based on thetemporary DOM, even quicker display of a Web page is expected.Additionally, as shown in FIG. 72, as a candidate for the Web page whichis a prefetch target, there can be assumed (candidate 1) linkdestinations registered in a bookmark list, (candidate 2) a specificnumber of link destinations at the top of the link destinations includedin a search result, (candidate 3) link destinations in a browsing page,and the like. Also, a specific number of link destinations can beselected in order from (candidate 1) to (candidate 3). Furthermore, auser may decide the combination among these candidates, and may select aspecific number of link destinations from the combination.

As described above, the present embodiment proposes a method ofprefetching an HTML file and a CSS file. Of course, the HTML file isonly an example, and a file written in other structured language may beused instead of the HTML file. Also, the CSS file is only an example,and a file of a different format for adjusting the display layout can beused instead of the CSS file. In any case, by prefetching these twotypes of files, a Web page based on a temporary DOM can be quicklydisplayed. In the following, the prefetching method according to thepresent embodiment will be described in detail.

<3-2: Functional Configuration of Information Processing Apparatus 100>

First, the functional configuration of an information processingapparatus 100 capable of realizing the idea described above will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 73. FIG. 73 is an explanatory diagramshowing an example of the information processing apparatus 100 accordingto the present embodiment. Additionally, the information processingapparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is sometimes referredto as an information processing apparatus 100B to be distinguished fromthe information processing apparatuses 100 of the first embodimentdescribed above and the third embodiment described later.

As shown in FIG. 73, the information processing apparatus 100 isconfigured mainly from a data acquisition unit 110, a structure analysisunit 120, a rendering unit 130, a display unit 140, a communication unit150, and a link selection unit 160. Furthermore, the rendering unit 130includes a temporary DOM creation unit 131, a complete DOM creation unit132, a cache memory 133, a display control unit 134, and a nodeinformation storage unit 135. The main difference to the informationprocessing apparatus 100A according to the first embodiment describedabove lies in the presence of the communication unit 150 and the linkselection unit 160. Accordingly, in the following, the functions of thecommunication unit 150 and the link selection unit 160 will be mainlydescribed.

The communication unit 150 is means for communicating with the Webservers 310 and 320 via a network 200. Additionally, to download a filefrom the Web server 310 or 320, a DNS server has to be accessed, andname resolution has to be performed or a TCP connection has to beestablished. Also, a redirect has to be acquired from the Web servers310 and 320. The communication unit 150 performs, as appropriate, theprocesses mentioned above and the like regarding the communication withthe Web servers 310 and 320.

Furthermore, the link selection unit 160 is means for selecting a linkdestination to be a prefetch target. As described above, as linkdestinations which are prefetch targets, there can be assumed(candidate 1) link destinations registered in a bookmark list,(candidate 2) a specific number of link destinations at the top of thelink destinations included in a search result, (candidate 3) linkdestinations in a browsing page, and the like. For example, when(candidate 2) is set, the link selection unit 160 selects a specificnumber of link destinations included in a search result output from asearch engine. Also in the case of (candidate 1) and (candidate 3), thelink selection unit 160 selects a specific number of link destinations.

Furthermore, the link selection unit 160 assigns a selected linkdestination with a type of prefetching according to a specific rule. Forexample, the link selection unit 160 assigns a first method ofprefetching an HTML file and a CSS file for top N1 link destinations,and assigns a second method of prefetching a redirect for the next N2link destinations. Also, the link selection unit 160 assigns, to the Webservers 310 and 320 corresponding to the next N3 link destinations, athird method of establishing a TCP connection in advance, or assigns afourth method of performing name resolution through DNS in advance. Inthe following, the first method, the second method, the third method andthe fourth method will be respectively referred to as file prefetching,redirect prefetching, pre-connection and DNS prefetching.

Information on the link destinations selected by the link selection unit160 and the type of prefetching assigned to each link destination areinput to the data acquisition unit 110 and the communication unit 150.

For example, information on a link destination assigned to fileprefetching or redirect prefetching is input to the data acquisitionunit 110. When information on a link destination assigned to fileprefetching is input, the data acquisition unit 110 downloads an HTMLfile and a CSS file from the link destination indicated by the inputinformation on the link destination, and caches the same. On the otherhand, when information on a link destination assigned to redirectprefetching is input, the data acquisition unit 110 acquires a redirectcode from the link destination indicated by the input information on thelink destination, and proceeds to read the URL of the redirectdestination as appropriate.

Furthermore, information on a link destination assigned topre-connection or DNS prefetching is input to the communication unit150. When information on a link destination assigned to pre-connectionis input, the communication unit 150 establishes a TCP connection to thelink destination indicated by the input information on the linkdestination. Note that, in the case of pre-connection, download or thelike of a file is not performed. On the other hand, when information ona link destination assigned to DNS prefetching is input, thecommunication unit 150 performs name resolution for connecting to thelink destination indicated by the input information on the linkdestination. Note that, in the case of DNS prefetching, processing doesnot go as far as establishment of a TCP connection.

The above-described file prefetching, redirect prefetching,pre-connection and DNS prefetching are performed before a linkdestination is specified by a user. In a case file prefetching is to beperformed, after acquisition of an HTML file, analysis of the HTML fileis performed, and download of a CSS file is performed as appropriate.Then, when a link destination is specified by a user, building of atemporary DOM and a complete DOM are started by the rendering unit 130.The building method of the temporary DOM and the complete DOM, and theprocesses of display and switching of Web pages are substantially thesame as those of the information processing apparatus 100A according tothe first embodiment described above. Accordingly, detailed explanationwill be omitted.

Heretofore, the functional configuration of the information processingapparatus 100 according to the present embodiment has been described.

<3-3: Operation of Information Processing Apparatus 100>

Next, the operation of the information processing apparatus 100according to the present embodiment will be described with reference toFIG. 74. FIG. 74 is an explanatory diagram showing an operational flowof the information processing apparatus 100 according to the presentembodiment. Note that the operational flow shown in FIG. 74 relates to aconfiguration of selecting a specific number of link destinations from aresult of search by a search engine and performing file prefetching.

As shown in FIG. 74, first, the information processing apparatus 100selects a part of link destinations included in a search result (stepS201). Next, the information processing apparatus 100 downloads HTMLfiles and CSS files from the selected link destinations (step S202).Then, the information processing apparatus 100 determines whether or notany of the selected link destinations is selected by a user (step S203).When a link destination is selected by the user, the informationprocessing apparatus 100 proceeds to the process of step S204. On theother hand, when no link destination is selected by the user, theinformation processing apparatus 100 returns to the process of stepS203.

In a case it proceeded to the process of step S204, the informationprocessing apparatus 100 analyses the HTML file that has been downloadedand cached in advance by file prefetching, and starts creating atemporary DOM by mutually linking each structural unit relating to thedescription of the HTML and a structural unit relating to a CSS file(step S204). Then, the information processing apparatus 100 downloads aJS file from the link destination selected by the user (step S205).Then, the information processing apparatus 100 starts creating acomplete DOM by using the HTML file, the CSS file, and the JS file (stepS206).

Then, the information processing apparatus 100 determines whether or notthe creation of the temporary DOM is complete (step S207). In a case thecreation of the temporary DOM is complete, the information processingapparatus 100 proceeds to the process of step S208. On the other hand,in a case the creation of the temporary DOM is not complete, theinformation processing apparatus 100 returns to the process of stepS207. In a case it proceeded to the process of step S208, theinformation processing apparatus 100 creates a Web page by rendering thetemporary DOM, and displays the created Web page on the display screen(step S208).

Then, the information processing apparatus 100 determines whether or notthe creation of the complete DOM is complete (step S209). In a case thecreation of the complete DOM is complete, the information processingapparatus 100 proceeds to the process of step S210. On the other hand,in a case the creation of the complete DOM is not complete, theinformation processing apparatus 100 returns to step S209. In a case itproceeded to step S210, the information processing apparatus 100 createsa Web page by rendering the complete DOM, replaces the Web page based onthe temporary DOM with the Web page based on the complete DOM (stepS210), and ends the series of processes.

Heretofore, the operational flow of the information processing apparatus100 according to the present embodiment has been described.

<3-4: Flow of Prefetch Process>

Next, a flow of a prefetch process according to the present embodimentwill be described with reference to FIG. 75. FIG. 75 is an explanatorydiagram showing a flow of a prefetch process according to the presentembodiment. Additionally, the process shown in FIG. 75 is performed bythe information processing apparatus 100.

As shown in FIG. 75, first, whether or not a requested URL is a URL of asearch site is determined (step S301). In a case it is a URL of a searchsite, the process proceeds to step S302. On the other hand, in a case itis not a URL of a search site, the process returns to step S301. In acase the process proceeded to step S302, an acquired HTML file of thesearch site is parsed, and a list of link destinations to be prefetched(hereinafter, prefetch list) is extracted (step S302). Then, whether ornot an i-th URL (Xi) among the extracted link destinations is alreadycached is determined (step S303). In a case Xi is cached, the processproceeds to step S307. On the other hand, in a case Xi is not cached,the process proceeds to step S304.

In a case the process proceeded to step S304, a command (GET) foracquiring an HTML file from Xi is issued, and the HTML file is acquired(step S304). Then, the acquired HTML file is parsed, and the linkdestination of a CSS file written in the HTML file is extracted (stepS305). Furthermore, a command (GET) for acquiring the CSS file isissued, and the CSS file is acquired (step S305). Then, the acquiredHTML file and CSS file are cached (step S306). Then, Xi is deleted fromthe prefetch list (step S307). Then, whether or not there is an i+1-thURL (X(i+1)) in the prefetch list is determined (step S308). In a casethere is X(i+1), the process returns to step S303. On the other hand, ina case there is no X(i+1), the series of processes is ended.

Heretofore, a flow of the prefetch process according to the presentembodiment has been described. Additionally, the prefetch process iscancelled at the stage of the user clicking a URL link.

<3-5: Effect of Prefetching>

Next, an effect of the above-described prefetching will be describedwith reference to FIG. 76. FIG. 76 shows a comparison between theeffects of DNS prefetching, pre-connection (connection prefetching),redirect prefetching, file prefetching, and all-file prefetching. Asshown in FIG. 76, necessary traffic amount for file prefetchingaccording to the present embodiment is significantly less than in thecase of prefetching all the files. The effects of DNS prefetching,pre-connection and redirect prefetching are also noticeable. That is, byapplying the prefetching according to the present embodiment, increasein the traffic amount caused by prefetching can be suppressed. It canalso be understood from the comparison between the display times ofpages that there is no large difference in the effects of the fileprefetching according to the present embodiment and prefetching of allfiles. As described, by making good use of the file prefetchingaccording to the present embodiment, the speed of display of a Web pagecan be sufficiently increased, and at the same, wasteful use of memorycapacity or of occupied bandwidth due to prefetching can be reduced.

<3-6: Effect of Pre-Connection (Consideration)>

Next, a case of applying the pre-connection described above will beconsidered with reference to FIGS. 77 to 80. As described above, byusing the file prefetching method and the display method of a Web pagebased on the temporary DOM according to the present embodiment, a Webpage can be quickly displayed in an easy-to-view format even if anunstable low-speed line is used. Also, an increase in the traffic amountdue to prefetching can be prevented as much as possible, andcommunication cost can be cut down. As has been already stated, it isnot sensible to apply file prefetching to all the link destinations. Forexample, it is not efficient to apply file prefetching to a linkdestination which is unlikely to be selected by a user. Accordingly, amethod of further reducing the traffic amount due to prefetching byeffectively combining pre-connection with prefetching will beconsidered.

As shown in FIG. 77, it is desirable that a TCP connection to the hostof a link destination is established in advance before a user clicks thelink destination included in a Web page that is being displayed. It isalso effective to have a TCP connection to the host of a specified linkdestination established during the input of an URL by the user.Furthermore, it is also desirable to have the type of a link destinationthat is highly probable to be clicked by the user in the near futuredetermined, and to apply pre-connection to a link destination of thattype, as shown in FIG. 78. As shown in FIG. 78, the link destinationthat is highly probable to be clicked by the user may be, for example,(selection candidate 1) a link destination displayed in the upper partof a screen showing search results, (selection candidate 2) a linkdestination displayed on a screen that is being browsed, (selectioncandidate 3) a link destination that is frequently accessed, in thebrowsing history, or (selection candidate 4) a link destination near theposition of an operating tool that a user is operating, such as a mousepointer.

Furthermore, it is also conceivable to select a link destination forwhich the effect obtained by applying the technology of the firstembodiment described above and the prefetching or pre-connectionaccording to the present embodiment is large. In this case, a selectiontarget is decided based on, for example, a specific domain, a country,an actually measured response time, history of connection establishmenttimes, and the like. As shown in FIGS. 79 and 80, the connectionestablishment time greatly varies depending on the TLD (Top LevelDomain) of the link destination URL or the country the link destinationhost is located. FIG. 79 compares the connection establishment times inthe case of connection from Japan to link destinations of URLs havingrespective TLDs. FIG. 80 compares the connection establishment times atthe time of connecting from Japan to link destination hosts ofrespective countries. It can be understood from these results that theeffect of performing pre-connection is great in the case of a foreignlink destination. That is, flexible application of extracting a foreignlink destination and performing pre-connection on the link destinationand of performing file prefetching for a domestic link destination iseffective.

Heretofore, the second embodiment of the present invention has beendescribed.

4: THIRD EMBODIMENT

Next, the third embodiment of the present invention will be described.The present embodiment relates to a method of performing prefetching (orpre-connection) at an appropriate timing by using a touch panel that iscapable of detecting a proximity distance of an operating tool. Thismethod is based on the technology according to the first and secondembodiments, and is for improving the usefulness of the technology.

<4-1: Integration of Proximity Detection and Prefetch Process>

First, an overview of a prefetching method according to the presentembodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 81. As describedabove, the prefetching method according to the present embodiment isrealized by using a touch panel that is capable of proximity detection.The proximity detection here means detection of the degree of closenessof an operating tool in a case an operating tool such as a finger or astylus nears the surface of the touch panel. That is, the touch panelassumed here has a function of detecting information corresponding tothe distance between the operating tool and the touch panel.Additionally, a concrete example of such touch panel will be describedlater.

Now, as shown in FIG. 81, the mechanism of the prefetching according tothe present embodiment is to perform prefetching of a link destinationdisplayed within an area for which proximity is detected. For example,file prefetching is started when the distance between an operating tooland the touch panel becomes shorter than a specific threshold, and a Webpage is displayed, by using a file that is cached, at a stage a linkdestination is touched. Note that the file prefetching that is performedhere is for prefetching only an HTML file and a CSS file as with thesecond embodiment. Furthermore, at the time of displaying a Web page,display of a Web page based on a temporary DOM and replacement with aWeb page based on a complete DOM are performed as with the firstembodiment.

Additionally, a major difference between the mechanism of theprefetching according to the present embodiment and the mechanism of theprefetching according to the second embodiment lies in the method ofselecting a link destination to be the target of prefetching. Accordingto the prefetching method of the second embodiment, a specific number oflink destinations in a page that is being browsed are selected, or aspecific number of link destinations are selected from a search result.However, according to the prefetching method of the present embodiment,the link destination within an area to which an operating tool is nearedis selected as the target of prefetching. Therefore, the number of linkdestinations to be selected is reduced, thereby causing the data amountto be cached to be reduced than the prefetching method according to thesecond embodiment. However, since the execution time of the prefetchprocess becomes relatively short, it is sometimes better to combineprefetching with pre-connection as appropriate.

For example, it is sometimes more preferable to perform step-by-stepprocessing of starting pre-connection when the distance between theoperating tool and the touch panel becomes shorter than a threshold L1,and starting file prefetching when the distance becomes shorter that athreshold L2 (L2<L1). It is also possible to start file prefetching in acase a state where the distance is shorter than the threshold L1 ismaintained for a specific time or more. According to this configuration,file prefetching can be completed while a user is wondering whether toselect a link destination or not, and a Web page based on a temporaryDOM can be displayed immediately after user selection is performed.

Heretofore, an overview of the prefetching method according to thepresent embodiment has been described.

<4-2: Functional Configuration of Information Processing Apparatus 100>

Next, the functional configuration of the information processingapparatus 100 that is capable of realizing the above idea will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 82. FIG. 82 is an explanatory diagramshowing an example of the functional configuration of the informationprocessing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.Additionally, to distinguish from the information processing apparatuses100 according to the second and third embodiments, the informationprocessing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment may besometimes referred to as an information processing apparatus 100C.

As shown in FIG. 82, the information processing apparatus 100 is mainlyconfigured from a data acquisition unit 110, a structure analysis unit120, a rendering unit 130, a display unit 140, a communication unit 150,a link selection unit 160, a proximity determination unit 170, and atouch panel TP. Furthermore, the rendering unit 130 includes a temporaryDOM creation unit 131, a complete DOM creation unit 132, a cache memory133, a display control unit 134, and a node information storage unit135. The main difference to the information processing apparatus 100Baccording to the second embodiment described above lies in the presenceof the proximity determination unit 170 and the touch panel TP.Furthermore, the function of the link selection unit 160 is partiallychanged. Accordingly, in the following, the functions of the proximitydetermination unit 170 and the touch panel TP will be mainly described.

First, an explanation will be given on the touch panel TP. The touchpanel TP includes an optical sensor S. Also, although shown separatelyin FIG. 82, the touch panel TP and the display unit 140 are, in manycases, integrally formed. As described above, the touch panel TP has afunction of detecting the nearing of an operating tool. This function isachieved by detecting, by the optical sensor S, reflected light of lightemitted on the operating tool from a light source provided in the touchpanel TP (or backlight of the display unit 140). For example, thestronger the light reflected by the operating tool, the nearer to thetouch panel TP is the operating tool determined to be. Note that thisdetermination is made by the proximity determination unit 170.

Additionally, an example is shown in FIG. 82 where an optical touchpanel is used as the touch panel TP. However, any type of touch panelcan be used as long as it is capable of proximity detection. Forexample, a capacitive touch panel that detects the position of anoperating tool by sensing the change in the capacitance between theoperating tool and a conductive layer provided on the screen can also beused. In the case of the capacitive touch panel, the proximity distanceof the operating tool can be determined by monitoring the capacitancethat increases as the operating tool nears the screen. Additionally, inthe following, explanation will be given taking an optical touch panelas an example, for the sake of explanation.

The proximity determination unit 170 estimates the distance between anoperating tool and the touch panel TP based on the intensity ofreflected light detected by the optical sensor S. Also, the proximitydetermination unit 170 determines, based on the intensity distributionof the reflected light, the position of the operating tool, the size ofa shadow formed by the operating tool and the region of the shadowformed by the operating tool. The shadow here means a shadow formed dueto the light emitted from the light source being intercepted by theoperating tool where the operating tool is seen from a position facingthe touch panel TP with the operating tool in-between. Of course, it isnot recognized as a shadow by the optical sensor S, but the expression“shadow” is used here so that an image formed by the operating tool willbe easy to picture. Moreover, it can also be said that the larger thesize of the shadow, the shorter the distance between the operating tooland the touch panel TP.

Information indicating the position of the operating tool (hereinafter,position information), information indicating the region of a shadowformed by the operating tool (hereinafter, region information), andinformation indicating the distance between the operating tool and thetouch panel TP (hereinafter, distance information) are input to the linkselection unit 160 by the proximity determination unit 170. When theposition information, the region information and the distanceinformation are input, the link selection unit 160 determines whether ornot a link destination is displayed in the area on the screen indicatedby the region information. In a case a link destination is displayed,the link selection unit 160 selects the link destination that isdisplayed and, at the same, refers to the distance information, anddetermines whether or not the distance between the operating tool andthe touch panel TP is shorter than a specific threshold. In a case thedistance is shorter than the specific threshold, the link selection unit160 assigns a type of prefetching to the selected link destination, andinputs information on the link destination to the data acquisition unit110 or the communication unit 150. Additionally, the operations of thedata acquisition unit 110 and the communication unit 150 aresubstantially the same as those of the first and second embodiments.

Now, there are several methods of assigning a type of prefetching to alink destination. First, the most basic method is to start fileprefetching in a case the distance from the operating tool becomes lessthan the specific threshold. For example, although it will be a littlemore complicated, in a case multiple link destinations are included inthe region information, a method can be conceived of assigning,according to the distance from the position information indicating thecentre position of the shadow formed by the operating tool, fileprefetching to a link destination which is close and pre-connection to alink destination which is distant. Furthermore, there can be conceived amethod of preparing two specific thresholds, and changing the type ofprefetching to be assigned to a link destination such thatpre-connection is started in a case the distance from the operating toolbecomes less than the first threshold L1 and prefetching is started in acase the distance from the operating tool becomes less than the secondthreshold L2 (L2<L1). This assignment process is performed by the linkselection unit 160.

Additionally, the link selection unit 160 may also determine whether ornot to perform file prefetching, according to the time the operatingtool is in proximity to a link destination. For example, it is possibleto have file prefetching performed only in a case a specific time haspassed in a state where the operating tool is nearer, than a specificthreshold, to the screen at a position above a certain link destination.It is also possible to perform pre-connection after a state where theoperating tool stays nearer, than a specific threshold, to the screen ata position above a certain link destination is maintained for a specifictime and file prefetching is performed on the link destination, thepre-connection being performed on link destinations within a specificrange of the above-mentioned link destination. Furthermore, in a casethere are multiple link destinations for which pre-connection is to beperformed, the link selection unit 160 may set the order of performingpre-connection according to a specific standard. For example, the linkconnection unit 160 may perform pre-connection at an earlier stage for alink destination that has been selected specific times or more. The linkselection unit 160 may also perform pre-connection at an earlier stagefor a link destination, the round-trip time of which is longer than aspecific threshold. The link selection unit 160 may also set the orderof performing pre-connection according to the domain name or the IPaddress of the link destination. The processes relating to thedetermination and execution control are performed by the link selectionunit 160.

Heretofore, the functional configuration of the information processingapparatus 100 according to the present embodiment has been described.

<4-3: Operation of Information Processing Apparatus 100>

Next, an operation of the information processing apparatus 100 accordingto the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 83.FIG. 83 is an explanatory diagram showing an operational flow of theinformation processing apparatus 100 according to the presentembodiment. Note that the operational flow shown in FIG. 83 relates to aconfiguration of selecting a specific number of link destinations from aresult of search by a search engine and of performing file prefetching.

As shown in FIG. 83, first, the information processing apparatus 100detects the distance between an operating tool and the display screen(hereinafter, separation distance) (step S401). Then, the informationprocessing apparatus 100 determines whether or not the detectedseparation distance is a specific threshold or less (step S402). In acase the separation distance is the specific threshold or less, theinformation processing apparatus 100 proceeds to the process of stepS403. On the other hand, in a case the separation distance is not thespecific threshold or less, the information processing apparatus 100returns to the process of step S401. In a case it proceeded to theprocess of step S403, the information processing apparatus 100 selects alink destination whose display is at least partially included in aregion corresponding to the shadow of an operating tool, among linkdestinations included in a search result (step S403).

Next, the information processing apparatus 100 downloads an HTML fileand a CSS file from the selected link destination (step S404). Then, theinformation processing apparatus 100 determines whether or not theselected link destination is selected by the user (step S405). In a casethe link destination is selected, the information processing apparatus100 proceeds to the process of step S406. On the other hand, in a casethe link destination is not selected, the information processingapparatus 100 returns to the process of step S405. In a case itproceeded to the process of step S406, the information processingapparatus 100 analyses the HTML file that was acquired in advance, andstarts creating a temporary DOM by mutually linking structural unitsrelating to the HTML description and a structural unit relating to theCSS file (S406).

Next, the information processing apparatus 100 acquires a JS file fromthe link destination selected by the user (S407). Then, the informationprocessing apparatus 100 starts creating a complete DOM by mutuallylinking the structural units relating to the HTML description, thestructural unit relating to the CSS file and a structural unit relatingto the JS file, based on the analysis result of the HTML file that hasbeen acquired in advance (step S408). Next, the information processingapparatus 100 determines whether or not the creation of the temporaryDOM is complete (step S409). In a case the creation of the temporary DOMis complete, the information processing apparatus 100 proceeds to theprocess of step S410. On the other hand, in a case the creation of thetemporary DOM is not complete, the information processing apparatus 100returns to the process of step S409.

In a case it proceeded to the process of step S410, the informationprocessing apparatus 100 creates a Web page by rendering the temporaryDOM, and displays, on the display screen, the created Web page based onthe temporary DOM (step S410). Then, the information processingapparatus 100 determines whether or not the creation of the complete DOMis complete (step S411). In a case the creation of the complete DOM iscomplete, the information processing apparatus 100 proceeds to theprocess of step S412. On the other hand, in a case the creation of thecomplete DOM is not complete, the information processing apparatus 100returns to the process of step S411. In a case it proceeded to theprocess of step S412, the information processing apparatus 100 creates aWeb page by rendering the complete DOM, displays, on the display screen,the created Web page based on the complete DOM instead of the Web pagebased on the temporary DOM (S412), and ends the series of processes.

Heretofore, the operational flow of the information processing apparatus100 according to the present embodiment has been described.

<4-4: Flow of Prefetch Process Based on Proximity Detection>

Next, a flow of the prefetch process that uses proximity detectionaccording to the present embodiment will be described with reference toFIG. 84. FIG. 84 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of theprefetch process that uses the proximity detection according to thepresent embodiment. Additionally, in the example of FIG. 84, a finger istaken as an example of the operating tool.

As shown in FIG. 84, first, whether or not a finger is detected within athreshold A (mm) of the touch panel TP is determined (step S501). In acase a finger is detected within the threshold, the process proceeds tostep S502. On the other hand, in a case a finger is not detected withinthe threshold, the process returns to step S501. In a case the processproceeded to step S502, whether or not the focus of the finger is set toa link C for a period of threshold B (msec) or longer is determined bythe proximity detection (step S502).

In a case the focus is set for the threshold B or longer, the processproceeds to step S503. On the other hand, in a case the focus is not setfor the threshold B or longer, the process returns to step S501. In acase the process proceeded to step S503, file prefetching is performedfor the link C (step S503). Then, pre-connection is performed for a linkgroup E existing in an area within D (mm²) of the link C (step S504),and the series of processes is ended.

Heretofore, a flow of the prefetch process according to the presentembodiment has been described.

<4-5: Structure of Touch Panel Capable of Proximity Detection (In-CellTouch Panel)>

Next, explanation will be given on a touch panel that is capable ofproximity detection with reference to FIG. 85. There are several typesof touch panels, for example: a pressure-sensitive touch panel, acapacitive touch panel, and an optical touch panel. A pressure-sensitivetouch panel detects the position of an operating tool by detecting thechange in pressure occurring at the time of the operating tool pressinga panel. A capacitive touch panel detects, as an electrical signal,static electricity generated at the time of an operating tool touching apanel, and detects, from the detection result, the position of theoperating tool. Regarding an optical touch panel, method of detectingthe position or movement direction of an operating tool that touched apanel by using an optical sensor provided at an outer frame of thedisplay panel is well known, for example.

An optical touch panel called “in-cell touch panel” is also known. Anin-cell type optical touch panel (hereinafter, in-cell touch panel)detects the position of an operating tool by detecting, by using anoptical sensor array formed on a glass substrate constituting a displaypanel, light reflected by the operating tool. A light source is providedin the display panel to display an image. When an operating tool is incontact with or in proximity to the display panel, the light emittedfrom the light source is strongly reflected by the operating tool andthe reflected light is received by the optical sensor array.

A read circuit for reading intensity data of light detected by eachoptical sensor is connected to the optical sensor array. Therefore, whenlight reflected by the operating tool is detected by the optical sensorarray, the intensity data of light detected by each optical sensor isread by the read circuit. The intensity data of light read by the readcircuit in this manner indicates the distribution of light reflected bythe operating tool. Accordingly, by forming an image from the intensitydata of light read by the read circuit, the shape of the operating toolthat is in contact with or in proximity to the display panel is obtainedas an image.

Additionally, the image obtained here corresponds to a shadow imageobtained due to light emitted from the light source being intercepted bythe operating tool. As described, in a case of the in-cell touch panel,the shape of an operating tool is obtained as an image, and thus, thearea of the shadow cast by the operating tool can be calculated.Furthermore, when considering that the amount of light intercepted by anoperating tool increases as the operating tool nears a display panel, itbecomes possible to estimate the distance between the operating tool andthe display panel based on the area of the shadow (see FIG. 85).

For example, when expressing, as a shadow, a portion where the intensityof reflected light is high, image patterns as shown in FIG. 85 areobtained. When the distance to the operating tool is long, a smallshadow is obtained, and as the distance to the operating tool becomesshorter, the amount of light interception increases and the area of theshadow gradually increases. Accordingly, by measuring the area of theshadow, the distance between the operating tool and the display panelcan be detected. In a case of multi-touch, multiple shadowscorresponding to multiple operating tools are obtained, and the distancebetween each operating tool and the display panel can be obtained bymeasuring the area of each shadow.

<5: Hardware Configuration Example of Information Processing Apparatus100>

The function of each structural element of the information processingapparatus 100 (100A, 100B, and 100C) described above can be realized byusing the hardware configuration of an information processing apparatusshown in FIG. 86, for example. That is, the function of each structuralelement is realized by controlling the hardware shown in FIG. 86 byusing a computer program. Additionally, the mode of this hardware isarbitrary, and may be a personal computer, a mobile information terminalsuch as a mobile phone, a PHS or a PDA, a game machine, or various typesof information appliances. Moreover, the PHS is an abbreviation forPersonal Handy-phone System. Also, the PDA is an abbreviation forPersonal Digital Assistant.

As shown in FIG. 86, this hardware mainly includes a CPU 902, a ROM 904,a RAM 906, a host bus 908, and a bridge 910. Furthermore, this hardwareincludes an external bus 912, an interface 914, an input unit 916, anoutput unit 918, a storage unit 920, a drive 922, a connection port 924,and a communication unit 926. Moreover, the CPU is an abbreviation forCentral Processing Unit. Also, the ROM is an abbreviation for Read OnlyMemory. Furthermore, the RAM is an abbreviation for Random AccessMemory.

The CPU 902 functions as an arithmetic processing unit or a controlunit, for example, and controls entire operation or a part of theoperation of each structural element based on various programs recordedon the ROM 904, the RAM 906, the storage unit 920, or a removalrecording medium 928. The ROM 904 is means for storing, for example, aprogram to be loaded on the CPU 902 or data or the like used in anarithmetic operation. The RAM 906 temporarily or perpetually stores, forexample, a program to be loaded on the CPU 902 or various parameters orthe like arbitrarily changed in execution of the program.

These structural elements are connected to each other by, for example,the host bus 908 capable of performing high-speed data transmission. Forits part, the host bus 908 is connected through the bridge 910 to theexternal bus 912 whose data transmission speed is relatively low, forexample. Furthermore, the input unit 916 is, for example, a mouse, akeyboard, a touch panel, a button, a switch, or a lever. Also, the inputunit 916 may be a remote control that can transmit a control signal byusing an infrared ray or other radio waves.

The output unit 918 is, for example, a display device such as a CRT, anLCD, a PDP or an ELD, an audio output device such as a speaker orheadphones, a printer, a mobile phone, or a facsimile, that can visuallyor auditorily notify a user of acquired information. Moreover, the CRTis an abbreviation for Cathode Ray Tube. The LCD is an abbreviation forLiquid Crystal Display. The PDP is an abbreviation for Plasma DisplayPanel. Also, the ELD is an abbreviation for Electro-LuminescenceDisplay.

The storage unit 920 is a device for storing various data. The storageunit 920 is, for example, a magnetic storage device such as a hard diskdrive (HDD), a semiconductor storage device, an optical storage device,or a magneto-optical storage device. The HDD is an abbreviation for HardDisk Drive.

The drive 922 is a device that reads information recorded on the removalrecording medium 928 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, amagneto-optical disk or a semiconductor memory, or writes information inthe removal recording medium 928. The removal recording medium 928 is,for example, a DVD medium, a Blu-ray medium, an HD-DVD medium, varioustypes of semiconductor storage media, or the like. Of course, theremoval recording medium 928 may be, for example, an IC card on which anon-contact IC chip is mounted or an electronic device. The IC is anabbreviation for Integrated Circuit.

The connection port 924 is a port such as an USB port, an IEEE 1394port, a SCSI, an RS-232C port, or a port for connecting an externallyconnected device 930 such as an optical audio terminal. The externallyconnected device 930 is, for example, a printer, a mobile music player,a digital camera, a digital video camera, or an IC recorder. Moreover,the USB is an abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus. Also, the SCSI isan abbreviation for Small Computer System Interface.

The communication unit 926 is a communication device to be connected tothe network 200, and is, for example, a communication card for a wiredor wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or WUSB, an opticalcommunication router, an ADSL router, or various communication modems.The network 200 connected to the communication unit 926 is configuredfrom a wire-connected or wirelessly connected network, and is theInternet, a home-use LAN, infrared communication, visible lightcommunication, broadcasting, or satellite communication, for example.Moreover, the LAN is an abbreviation for Local Area Network. Also, theWUSB is an abbreviation for Wireless USB. Furthermore, the ADSL is anabbreviation for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line.

6: SUMMARY

Lastly, the technical contents according to the embodiments of thepresent invention will be briefly described. The technical contentsstated here can be applied to various information processingapparatuses, such as a PC, a mobile phone, a portable game machine, aportable information terminal, an information appliance, a carnavigation system, and the like.

The functional configuration of the information processing apparatusdescribed above can be expressed as follows. The information processingapparatus mainly includes a separation distance detection unit, a linkselection unit, a data prefetch unit, a structure analysis unit, a firststructuring unit, a second structuring unit, and a display control unit.

The separation distance detection unit detects a separation distancebetween an operating tool in contact with or in proximity to a displayscreen and the display screen.

The link selection unit selects, in a case the separation distancedetected by the separation distance detection unit is a specificthreshold or less, a link destination whose display is at leastpartially located for a specific time in a region of the display screencorresponding to the operating tool, among at least one link destinationdisplayed on the display screen.

The data prefetch unit acquires, before the link destination is selectedby the operating tool, information relating to a layout of a displayscreen and display control data including at least a structural unit inwhich the information relating to a layout of a display screen iswritten, the display control data and the information relating to alayout of a display screen existing at the link destination selected bythe link selection unit.

The structure analysis unit analyses the display control data andextracts structural units included in the display control data, in acase the link destination whose display control data has been acquiredby the data prefetch unit is selected by the operating tool.

The first structuring unit generates, in a case the link destinationwhose display control data has been acquired by the data prefetch unitis selected by the operating tool, first structured data for displaycontrol by mutually linking, except for a structural unit in whichinformation relating to display control involving script processing iswritten, the structural units including at least the structural unit inwhich the information relating to a layout of a display screen iswritten, among the structural units extracted by the structure analysisunit.

The second structuring unit generates, in a case the link destinationwhose display control data has been acquired by the data prefetch unitis selected by the operating tool, second structured data for displaycontrol by mutually linking the structural units.

The display control unit displays a display screen by using the firststructured data generated by the first structuring unit, and, at a stagethe second structured data is generated by the second structuring unit,redisplays the display screen by using the second structured data.

According to such configuration, a well laid-out page can be quicklydisplayed prior to the display of a display screen by proper structureddata that includes script information. That is, it becomes possible toavoid the delay in the start of page display caused by the sequentialnature of script processing and to quickly present sufficient amount ofinformation to a user in a simple but somewhat easy-to-view format.Furthermore, with a simple page being replaced with a page having alayout that is actually intended by the author of the page, a user isenabled to browse a page that accurately reflects the proper layout. Asa result, both the desire to quickly browse information of a page andthe desire to browse information of a page based on a proper layout canbe fulfilled. In many cases, the information that a user wants can beobtained from the simple page. However, a user tends to feeluncomfortable, wondering whether the user is enabled to browse all thepieces of information that are actually intended by the author. Suchuncomfortable feeling can be alleviated by presenting to the user a pagethat accurately reflects the author's intention as with theconfiguration described above.

(Notes)

The data acquisition unit 110 is an example of the data prefetch unit.The temporary DOM creation unit 131 is an example of the firststructuring unit. The complete DOM creation unit 132 is an example ofthe second structuring unit. The communication unit 150 is an example ofa connection establishment unit. The node information storage unit 135is an example of a display history storage unit. The proximitydetermination unit 170 is an example of an area calculation unit.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occurdepending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they arewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

The present application contains subject matter related to thatdisclosed in Japanese Priority Patent Application JP 2009-216284 filedin the Japan Patent Office on Sep. 17, 2009, the entire content of whichis hereby incorporated by reference.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing apparatus comprising: aseparation distance detection unit that detects a separation distancebetween an operating tool in contact with or in proximity to a displayscreen and the display screen; a link selection unit that selects, in acase the separation distance detected by the separation distancedetection unit is a specific threshold or less, a link destination whosedisplay is at least partially located for a specific time in a region ofthe display screen corresponding to the operating tool, among at leastone link destination displayed on the display screen; a data prefetchunit that acquires, before the link destination is selected by theoperating tool, information relating to a layout of a display screen anddisplay control data including at least a structural unit in which theinformation relating to a layout of a display screen is written, thedisplay control data and the information relating to a layout of adisplay screen existing at the link destination selected by the linkselection unit; a structure analysis unit that analyses the displaycontrol data and extracts structural units included in the displaycontrol data, in a case the link destination whose display control datahas been acquired by the data prefetch unit is selected by the operatingtool; a first structuring unit that generates, in a case the linkdestination whose display control data has been acquired by the dataprefetch unit is selected by the operating tool, first structured datafor display control by mutually linking, except for a structural unit inwhich information relating to display control involving scriptprocessing is written, the structural units including at least thestructural unit in which the information relating to a layout of adisplay screen is written, among the structural units extracted by thestructure analysis unit; a second structuring unit that generates, in acase the link destination whose display control data has been acquiredby the data prefetch unit is selected by the operating tool, secondstructured data for display control by mutually linking the structuralunits; and a display control unit that displays a display screen byusing the first structured data generated by the first structuring unit,and, at a stage the second structured data is generated by the secondstructuring unit, redisplays the display screen by using the secondstructured data.
 2. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 1, further comprising: a connection establishment unit thatestablishes a connection to the link destination, wherein the linkselection unit further selects another link destination that is locatedin a specific range with the link destination whose display is at leastpartially located in the region as a centre, and wherein the connectionestablishment unit establishes a TCP connection to the other linkdestination that the link selection unit further selected, before theother link destination is selected by user operation.
 3. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in a case multiplelink destinations which are a result of search based on key informationare displayed on the display screen, a specific number of the linkdestinations are selected from a top of the link destinations regardlessof the separation distance.
 4. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the separation distance detection unitsenses a change in capacitance between the operating tool and aconductive layer provided on the display screen, and detects theseparation distance.
 5. The information processing apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein the separation distance detection unit includes anoptical sensor that detects reflected light which is light emitted froma light source toward the operating tool reflected by the operatingtool, and an area calculation unit that calculates, from intensitydistribution of the reflected light detected by the optical sensor, anarea of an image formed on the display screen by the operating tool,wherein the link selection unit selects, in a case the areacorresponding to the separation distance is a specific threshold orless, the link destination whose display is at least partially locatedin the area for a specific time.
 6. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 2, wherein the link selection unit performs,according to a specific standard, ranking of the other link destinationselected, with respect to TCP connection establishment.
 7. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the linkselection unit gives the link destination which has been selectedspecific times or more a higher place in a ranking for establishment. 8.The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein thelink selection unit gives a higher place in the ranking to the linkdestination whose round-trip time is a specific threshold or more. 9.The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein thelink selection unit performs ranking with respect to the TCP connectionestablishment according to a domain name or an IP address of the linkdestination.
 10. The information processing apparatus according to claim1, further comprising: a data acquisition unit that acquires the displaycontrol data and related data related to the display control data,wherein the data acquisition unit handles a data acquisition requestfrom the first structuring unit in priority to a data acquisitionrequest from the second structuring unit.
 11. The information processingapparatus according to claim 2, wherein the connection establishmentunit acquires, when a host address of the link destination is decided,an IP address corresponding to the host address before prefetching ofthe display control data or establishment of the TCP connection.
 12. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a cache memory in which the display control data and therelated data acquired by the data acquisition unit upon requests fromthe first structuring unit and the second structuring unit are stored,wherein the display control unit switches display based on data storedin the cache memory, at a time point of all the display control datarequired for display based on the second structured data having beenstored in the cache memory.
 13. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the second structuring unit does notgenerate the second structured data in a case the structural unit inwhich the information relating to display control involving scriptprocessing is written is not present in the structural units extractedby the structure analysis unit.
 14. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising: a display history storage unitthat stores a history including a structural unit corresponding tocontent displayed on the display screen at a time of performing displaybased on the first structured data, wherein the display control unitselects, at a time of switching to display based on the secondstructured data, a structural unit corresponding to content to bedisplayed on the display screen, based on display history stored in thedisplay history storage unit.
 15. A data acquisition method comprisingthe steps of: detecting a separation distance between an operating toolin contact with or in proximity to a display screen and the displayscreen; selecting, in a case the separation distance detected in thestep of detecting a separation distance is a specific threshold or less,a link destination whose display is at least partially located for aspecific time in a region of the display screen corresponding to theoperating tool, among at least one link destination displayed on thedisplay screen; acquiring, before the link destination is selected bythe operating tool, information relating to a layout of a display screenand display control data including at least a structural unit in whichthe information relating to a layout of a display screen is written, thedisplay control data and the information relating to a layout of adisplay screen existing at the link destination selected in the step ofselecting a link destination; analysing the display control data andextracting structural units included in the display control data, in acase the link destination whose display control data has been acquiredin the step of acquiring display control data performed prior toselection by the operating tool is selected by the operating tool;generating, in a case the link destination whose display control datahas been acquired in the step of acquiring display control dataperformed prior to selection by the operating tool is selected by theoperating tool, first structured data for display control by mutuallylinking, except for a structural unit in which information relating todisplay control involving script processing is written, the structuralunits including at least the structural unit in which the informationrelating to a layout of a display screen is written, among thestructural units extracted in the step of extracting structural units;generating, in a case the link destination whose display control datahas been acquired in the step of acquiring display control dataperformed prior to selection by the operating tool is selected by theoperating tool, second structured data for display control by mutuallylinking the structural units; displaying a display screen by using thefirst structured data generated in the step of generating firststructured data; and redisplaying, at a stage the second structured datais generated, the display screen by using the second structured data.16. A program for causing a computer to realize: a separation distancedetection function of detecting a separation distance between anoperating tool in contact with or in proximity to a display screen andthe display screen; a link selection function of selecting, in a casethe separation distance detected by the separation distance detectionfunction is a specific threshold or less, a link destination whosedisplay is at least partially located for a specific time in a region ofthe display screen corresponding to the operating tool, among at leastone link destination displayed on the display screen; a data prefetchfunction of acquiring, before the link destination is selected by theoperating tool, information relating to a layout of a display screen anddisplay control data including at least a structural unit in which theinformation relating to a layout of a display screen is written, thedisplay control data and the information relating to a layout of adisplay screen existing at the link destination selected by the linkselection function; a structure analysis function of analysing thedisplay control data and extracting structural units included in thedisplay control data, in a case the link destination whose displaycontrol data has been acquired by the data prefetch function is selectedby the operating tool; a first structuring function of generating, in acase the link destination whose display control data has been acquiredby the data prefetch function is selected by the operating tool, firststructured data for display control by mutually linking, except for astructural unit in which information relating to display controlinvolving script processing is written, the structural units includingat least the structural unit in which the information relating to alayout of a display screen is written, among the structural unitsextracted by the structure analysis function; a second structuringfunction of generating, in a case the link destination whose displaycontrol data has been acquired by the data prefetch function is selectedby the operating tool, second structured data for display control bymutually linking the structural units; and a display control function ofdisplaying a display screen by using the first structured data generatedby the first structuring function, and redisplaying, at a stage thesecond structured data is generated by the second structuring function,the display screen by using the second structured data.